Subject 13's Butler
by AoUsagi
Summary: Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science.
1. Teaser

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

Hiya folks, and welcome to a new Black Butler fanfic! I don't want to say much, because that would –obviously- ruin the story, which I don't want to do. This is an idea I've had bouncing around my head for a long time. And that's a LONG TIME. I haven't wanted to work on it until I'd finished at least one of my other fics, which I now have, so here we go. I'll stop rambling now.

_- Mercy_

…

_This chapter is actually a teaser excerpt from Chapter One. I'd like to see what sort of response I get from it before I consider posting more. It's basically the end of season two with a twist._

* * *

**Teaser Chapter**

-:-

Roses shouldn't grow among ashes. That was something that Ciel Phantomhive was certain of in this strange, dimly lit world that didn't make sense. But, against all reasonable odds, there were inky black roses and the purest, glowing white roses growing amongst dark leaves in a garden bed of ash. A breeze stirred the petals and lifted several of them into the air, sending them flying head over heels into the deeper, darker space of nothingness beyond.

Of course, there was one other thing that he was certain, and he was in it's arms as it carried him through this sickeningly beautiful flower bed, moving with grace and elegance to match that of a panther. His butler, Sebastian. Ciel could hear the distance crashing of waves somewhere beyond them, where the roses would end and the void would begin, cliffs staggering away beneath them and away into oblivion. But he could also hear a sound he'd never in the last few years been able to discern; a heartbeat. Not his own, and not even Sebastian's – it was a pounding that flowed through the both of them, the constant, rhythmic pulse that bonded boy and butler together. Perhaps being a demon had heightened his awareness of it; or perhaps it was simply something new altogether.

'Where shall we go now?' the deep tones of his demons voice were carried over the breeze, and Ciel found himself shrugging.

'Do you know? I don't much care. After all you and I both know where we are ultimately going to end up. I was always going there. As a dead human…or a live demon.' They came to a halt as the cliffs dropped sharply away beneath them, with nothing but a void of depth and nothingness cast in shadow beyond. The waves were louder, but he couldn't see any sign of the spray as they crashed into the rocks. He took a deep inhalation of the cool air. 'I feel good somehow, as if released from a spell I was under for a long time.'

'Yes, and in return for that…I have been put under an eternal spell.' Sebastian replied, a tinge of bitterness in his voice; he didn't have to mask it anymore – but Ciel didn't feel the need to get angry. Somehow, it was coming to an end; an end that didn't deserve to finish on a sorrowful note.

'You are my butler, Sebastian,' he said, feeling absolute in the words he spoke. Sebastian nodded, affirming the sensation.

'I'm am one hell of a butler. …For eternity.'

'And as before there is only one answer that you will give me. You know it, don't you?' he looked up at the crimson eyed monster dressed in the finest of suits. He felt the demons muscles bunch, his legs bowed, and then, Sebastian sprang from the cliff, and Ciel felt that this truly was the final curtain for this world. He was leaving it, and he would not be returning as Sebastian whispered in his ear.

'Yes, my Lord.'

The wind whipped through their hair and their clothes, Ciel's sight blurring with streaks of black and white as the two of them freefell into the abyss that was Oblivion.

And when Ciel snapped his eyes open, the feeling of descent stopped, and he couldn't help but scream in pain as the brightness of the light above blinded him.

-:-

* * *

**_please don't forget to review. i need feedback on this story or else it's not going to be continued._**

**_-M_**


	2. Chapter One

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science._

* * *

_**BeforeNote:**_

So here we go. This story was originally going to be titled 'Go Back To Sleep', but I'm compiling all of my Black Butler fanfictions into a big compilation sort of ordeal called "The Butler Books", where the story's focuses is any of the butlers. There's also going to be another compilation that follows a bunch of my Shinigami fanfictions, titled "The Reaper Archives". Appropriate, huh? Anyway, this is one of _the Butler Books _stories, where each story is titled _The __(insert rest of title)__ Butler. _So this is no exception.

And I owe it all to a song called '_Go Back To Sleep_', and bugger me if I can remember who it's by. But if I had to make a soundtrack up for you guys to get the feel of this story, I'd recommend that song, along with…

*_Angel In Disguise*_ (by Cinema Bizarre),  
*_Lullaby*_ (by Hypnogaja),  
*_Wonderwall*_ (by Oasis),  
*_Impossible*_ (by Synthetic…something or rather I forget sorry XP),  
*_Until the Day I Die*_ (by Story of the Year),  
and  
*_Deathbed*_ (by There For Tomorrow)

Anyway, that's the sort of listening I'd recommend if you're one of those readers that likes to read to music (I know I am). This isn't going to be the only story that I'm working on now, because ever since I finished _You Will Rule The World_ (that's right, my lovelies! Last chapter was up about a week or so ago! Please review it and let me know how you like it! :D), I've been slowly getting back into the groove of writing more and more again. And it's a WONDERFUL FEELING, LET ME TELL YOU.

_- Mercy_

…

_So here is the rest of chapter one_

* * *

**Chapter One:** From Oblivion to Hell

-:-

Roses shouldn't grow among ashes. That was something that Ciel Phantomhive was certain of in this strange, dimly lit world that didn't make sense. But, against all reasonable odds, there were inky black roses and the purest, glowing white roses growing amongst dark leaves in a garden bed of ash. A breeze stirred the petals and lifted several of them into the air, sending them flying head over heels into the deeper, darker space of nothingness beyond.

Of course, there was one other thing that he was certain, and he was in it's arms as it carried him through this sickeningly beautiful flower bed, moving with grace and elegance to match that of a panther. His butler, Sebastian. Ciel could hear the distance crashing of waves somewhere beyond them, where the roses would end and the void would begin, cliffs staggering away beneath them and away into oblivion. But he could also hear a sound he'd never in the last few years been able to discern; a heartbeat. Not his own, and not even Sebastian's – it was a pounding that flowed through the both of them, the constant, rhythmic pulse that bonded boy and butler together. Perhaps being a demon had heightened his awareness of it; or perhaps it was simply something new altogether.

"Where shall we go now?" the deep tones of his demons voice were carried over the breeze, and Ciel found himself shrugging.

"Do you know? I don't much care. After all you and I both know where we are ultimately going to end up. I was always going there. As a dead human…or a live demon." They came to a halt as the cliffs dropped sharply away beneath them, with nothing but a void of depth and nothingness cast in shadow beyond. The waves were louder, but he couldn't see any sign of the spray as they crashed into the rocks. He took a deep inhalation of the cool air. "I feel good somehow, as if released from a spell I was under for a long time."

"Yes, and in return for that…I have been put under an eternal spell." Sebastian replied, a tinge of bitterness in his voice; he didn't have to mask it anymore – but Ciel didn't feel the need to get angry. Somehow, it was coming to an end; an end that didn't deserve to finish on a sorrowful note.

"You are my butler, Sebastian," he said, feeling absolute in the words he spoke. Sebastian nodded, affirming the sensation.

"I'm am one hell of a butler. …For eternity."

"And as before there is only one answer that you will give me. You know it, don't you?" he looked up at the crimson eyed monster dressed in the finest of suits. He felt the demons muscles bunch, his legs bowed, and then, Sebastian sprang from the cliff, and Ciel felt that this truly was the final curtain for this world. He was leaving it, and he would not be returning as Sebastian whispered in his ear.

"Yes, my Lord."

The wind whipped through their hair and their clothes, Ciel's sight blurring with streaks of black and white as the two of them freefell into the abyss that was Oblivion.

And when Ciel snapped his eyes open, the feeling of descent stopped, and he couldn't help but scream in pain as the brightness of the light above blinded him.

**-:-**  
**(end of teaser)**

Silence came from the hand that was quickly clapped over his mouth, but the pain was doubled as if the hand was digging a thousands nails into his lips and skin, and another scream was muffled in his throat. A shadow loomed over him, the lights above the shadow so painfully bright that he wasn't even able to make out the general shape of the figure. There were more hands, grabbing at his wrists, sending streaks of torturous pain up his arms, and his body was pulled from a thick, slick liquid, the cold air hitting his bare skin like dozens of needles. Every bone in his body must have shattered when he and Sebastian had landed, because every time those prying hands touched him, Ciel's skin burned and screamed in pain, his body twisting and contorting reflexively to evade the mysterious attacker.

The hand from his mouth was removed, cold air hitting his face and his ears starting to register sounds again, piercing beeps from somewhere nearby and the words spoken between the people lifting him from the strange water seeming far to loud to not be yells to his ears. He found himself gasping for breath, every heaving gasp stabbing his innards as cold air filled his trembling body, a harsh, chemical tang filling his nostrils and inflating his lungs. What was happening? Where was…?

"_Go!_ Follow the plan!" garbled words became clearer and the voice was so clear and distinct that tears of both pain and relief sprung to Ciel's eyes. Sebastian. He was there. He was with him again. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut against the blindingly bright lights, he felt himself get jostled about until he was in someone's arms, being carried. Sebastian. There was a faint smell of an aftershave that Ciel seemed to remember Sebastian using. Some sort of…body soap? Mixed with sweat, creating a musty tang. The overload of sudden sounds and sights made Ciel's head spin, every sense and nerve in his body freaking out.

Somewhere not too far away, the yelling started. Men and women, shouting out Sebastian's name, and then, a siren began to blare, assaulting Ciel's auditory senses on top of everything else. Sebastian began to run, and Ciel felt like he was about to vomit from the jolt every one of the mans steps sent quaking through him. He didn't dare open his eyes yet – he didn't want to be blinded again.

Another voice came through, a young boy running alongside Sebastian – the terrified voice of none other than Finnian, of all people.

"They're after us! They've got security!" he cried, but Sebastian merely grunted as they sprinted, their footsteps ringing out on what sounded like marble tiles. It was all too loud for Ciel – he cringed and huddled closer to Sebastian, the feeling of pain prickling across his skin not so bad anymore.

"Keep moving! We'll make it," Sebastian ground out, the shouts from behind them still calling for them to stop. It only mildly surprised Ciel when both Sebastian and Finni seemed to plough on even faster instead of slowly. He could feel the swing and sway as they rounded corners or around obstacles, Sebastian and Finni's breath becoming laboured as they ran through seemingly endless corridors.

There was a sudden, deafening bang, one that Ciel dimly registered as a gunshot, and Sebastian screamed in pain, toppling forwards and staggering to his knees. Ciel managed to pry his eyes open for long enough to see red staining a white shirt – or a white coat, he couldn't see it properly, but he knew that Sebastian had taken a bullet to the shoulder. Finnian was crying and frantically dancing around them, begging Sebastian to get back up, to hand Ciel to him instead. But, grinding out swear words that Ciel had never known existed, Sebastian got staggeringly back to his feet and managed a painfully slow pace, somewhere between a wounded jog and a pained run. More gun shots rang out in the tight corridors; Ciel could hear them ricocheting off the walls. He wished he had some inkling of what was happening, and Finni's panic seemed contagious – he himself was feeling frightened and flighty even in his traumatized state.

"Keep going," Sebastian ground out, seemingly more for his own self encouragement than for Finnian. "We're nearly there."

Another bullet whizzed past their heads, and Ciel felt the rush of cold air from an outside source as he heard the sound of a door getting pushed open, and there was a screech of an automobiles tires over gravel as the sirens only seemed to get louder as they stumbled out into the night air.

The too brightly lit hallways behind them, Ciel dared to try to open his eyes again, and he found them resting on a strange looking automobile that a redheaded girl emerged from, Finni running to her and opening a door for Sebastian. Ciel was shuffled into the backseat and Finni clambered in after him, pulling a long strap over and across his shuddering body before clicking it into a lock of some sorts by his side. The girl objected with a curse as Sebastian slid in behind the wheel of the vehicle.

"You can't drive, you're injured! _You idiot_!" she exclaimed, and Ciel was vaguely able to discern her voice as Mey-Rin's. What were Finni and Mey-Rin doing here? Ciel didn't know as Sebastian started the engine, Mey-Rin climbing into the seat beside him, disgruntled. The moment she was seated, the automobile shot forward and screeched over the gravel as massive floodlights lit up the area they were in, and Ciel managed to catch sight of a huge ring-locked fence raising up on all sides of them. There was no way out.

"What are you doing?!" Finni yelped as Sebastian aimed the vehicle straight for the fence. There were more gun shots, louder and faster now, chattering around on the asphalt around them, and Finni cried out in surprise. "They're shooting at us!"

"They're not aiming for us," Mey-Rin said quickly. "They don't want to endanger their precious test subject."

_Test subject?! _What in the name of the Queen was…

The vehicle crashed through the tall fence with a reverberating crunch, followed by the deafening squealing scratch as the broken wire dragged across the automobiles metal exterior, and Sebastian one-handedly steered the vehicle and floored the accelerator, making them jump and skid over rocky terrain that they couldn't see in the darkness, his wounded shoulder and arm hanging limply at his side.

Adrenaline was still pumping through Ciel's body, and he could hear Mey-Rin and Finni calling out his name, Finni holding his face in his hands, but Ciel's limbs had all gone numb, and he couldn't muster any strength to even look back at the poor distressed gardener. The darkness was clouding his mind, and slowly their cries were becoming more and more muffled as his senses began to black out. His head was still spinning, but slower now. A dreadful sense of calm washed over him, a sensation that he'd only felt once before – when Hannah Annafellows had plunged off the cliff with him from Demons Isle into the swirling dark waters below.

Ciel Phantomhive slipped from consciousness soon after.

**-:-**

The first thing that he could hear was the sound of engines; nearby, far away – vehicles passing somewhere outside of this warm, dark place. There was a little bit of light streaming in through a skylight somewhere above him, with tiny particles of dust dancing like pirouetting ballet dancers in the light. As he managed to slowly drag open his eyes, Ciel became aware of his own breathing; the rhythmic sound of inhalation and exhalation, the rise and fall of his chest and the tiniest, hardly even audible sound of the clothes he wore rustling with each breath. The air was warm, a little musty, as if he was in a loft, and he turned his head to one side, his bleary sight clearing a little as he tried to focus on the rest of the room.

It wasn't the Phantomhive mansion. That much he was able to discern without even trying; there was too much noise from the traffic outside and he couldn't hear any chirping from birds. The room wasn't much to look at; an old dresser, a trunk, two chairs sitting at a table with a stack of paper and files on it. Everything in this room screamed that it hadn't been used for much in a long time. Dust tickled his nose, and Ciel reflexively sneezed, surprising himself as he brought his hands up to cover his face, sitting up on the bed he'd been laid on. Moving was something of a task – once the reflex had worn off, he found that his arms were sluggish, his limbs and eyes tired, as if he'd been asleep for a long time. He wondered briefly what hour it was.

Footsteps came from somewhere beneath him, the sound of muffled voices talking in hushed tones from a stairway across the room, and one of the speakers began to ascend the wooden staircase. On the vaguest chance that he was a hostage, Ciel lay back down quickly and feigned sleep, listening carefully for anymore words passed between the two people he couldn't yet see. The person on their way up paused a moment.

"…and what should I do if he wakes up?" her voice was low, quieted, and there was a hushed response.

"Call us – we'll get the doc up. Check his vitals and muscle movements – if we can get him properly alert and roused, then we have some chance of getting him talking." The mans voice sounded so oddly familiar, with a cockney English accent, but Ciel was having trouble placing the voice to a face – his heart was pounding as the woman continued up the stairs and entered the room. Keeping his eyes closed, he listened for the sounds as she came over and bent over him, her cool breath smelling a little like tea. She gently took his wrist in one hand, and he stayed as limp as possible while she did so. Then, seemingly satisfied, she left him alone and there was a scrape of the chair on the wooden floorboards as she sat down with a small sigh.

Ciel counted to ten under his breath – that was always what his father had told him to do if he was ever scared of the dark; always count to calm down before opening your eyes to look around. It had saved him from countless nightmares when he had been much younger. He may have been a demon now but that didn't stop him from being scared witless – every time he tried to think back, he saw the flashes of blinding light, the blurry sight of blood.

Cracking his eyes open to just slits, he dared to turn his head a fraction to peek over at the woman. She had long, shoulder length hair that framed her big, slanted brown eyes, with a pair of large round glasses pushed back on her forehead as she held a book in her lap. She was dressed in the oddest clothes – trousers, a set of tall black boots and button-down shirt. In Ciel's mind, it was no attire for a lady. A lady…

After a double take, Ciel realized who exactly he was looking at. Mey-Rin. Wearing mens clothes. Reading a book, without her ridiculous glasses. With her hair down. She looked _nothing_ like the clumsy, twittering maid who served him. And he couldn't resist trying to talk.

"M-mey…Mey-Rin…" the words sounded odd, slow on his lips, and hoarse on a throat he found surprisingly dry. But it was enough. The book clattered to the floor and the chair was tipped over backwards in the girls surprise.

"Ciel!" she was at his side at once, and he tried to sit up again, but she put two firm yet slender hands on his shoulders. "No, kiddo – don't try to get up yet."

"K-kiddo…?" Ciel tried to object, but his attempt was feeble and quickly thwarted as Mey-Rin began to check his pulse again. She pulled her glasses down and perched them on her nose as she peered at him, pulling a strange object from her trouser pocket.

"Eyes open," she commanded with an unfamiliar authority, and Ciel only really did so because he was so surprised at her firmness. She clicked the end of the long, pencil-like object before it flashed on and she shone the bright light into his eyes.

"H-hey…!" he screwed his eyes shut and shielded his face with his hands, and Mey-Rin stood back, a relieved smile on her face.

"Well that's good," she said, taking off her glasses again. "I suppose we don't have to worry about muscle responses – you seem to be doing all right reflex wise. Here." She held out her hand to him, and he glared at her. How dare she shine that horrible thing in his eyes? Just who did she think she was? "Take my hand."

Ciel pulled a face and glared at her for a while more, but she just stood, waiting patiently, until he reached up and took her hands in his.

"Now squeeze. As hard as you can," she instructed, and Ciel didn't need any telling twice – he put all his effort into trying to break her phalanges.

_This will teach you to disrespect me, you stupid girl, _he thought bitterly as he squeezed and grasped Mey-Rin's hand as hard as he possibly could. His vision began to swim and he started to feel dizzy – and without really meaning to he let go, flopping uselessly back onto the bed, suddenly exhausted. The entire time, Mey-Rin's expression hadn't changed.

"Well, I suppose it may have been a bit early for that," she said, looking at her hand. Ciel could make out the light red grip marks where he'd wrung her fingers, but they didn't even look like there'd been any pressure behind them – and yet here he was, utterly worn out from the exertion of it.

"What's…what's ha-happening?" he whispered, and Mey-Rin knelt down next to him, a small smile on her features as she gently took his hand on her own.

"It's okay. You're safe and that's all that matters, Ciel," she said kindly, sounding nothing like she used to. Even the glasses didn't make her sound stupid. "Listen, I have to go and let the others know – wait here a moment, all right?"

She got up and turned away, but Ciel, determined to not be left alone, struggled to sit up and haul his embarrassingly scrawny legs over the side of the bed.

"I – I'm c-coming with you…" he managed to push himself up and off the bed, but his legs buckled and he toppled forwards. Mey-Rin whirled and caught him before he hit the floor, breaking his fall with a worried yelp.

"Hey, hey! You're not supposed to try to move too much, you'll hurt yourself," she said, brushing a few stray strands of his hair from his face as he glared up at her again. Catching sight of his expression, she sighed and gathered him into her arms, hoisting him up expertly. Ciel uttered a small gasp – he'd never known Mey-Rin was this strong. "Fine," she relented, and began to carry him towards the stairs. "I'll take you down with me, but you must sit still and not wriggle while I'm going downstairs, okay?"

Ciel found himself blushing at the thought of someone like Mey-Rin being stronger and more able than him. It was a dash on his pride, but he complied and stayed as still as he could, allowing his strangely dressed maid to carry him bridal style down the steps.

"Guys? He's awake – and he's got a bit of energy in him," Mey-Rin called out as they reached the bottom, and Ciel took in the room around them. It was a fairly shabby place, one that he'd never concede to living in. It was dusty, warm and was in need of a good cleaning. From a settee across the room facing away from them, a blonde haired boy rose – Finnian. He looked around, his big eyes full of surprise as he saw Mey-Rin and Ciel; and he was dressed as strangely as Mey-Rin – torn-off shorts, a shirt with no buttons – and the barrettes that would usually pin back his fringe were missing, but his face lit up as he caught sight of Ciel.

"Oh, Ciel!" he cried, racing over and tripping over a stack of books in the process. He came to a stumbling halt in front of them, grabbing Ciel's hand and giving it an affectionate squeeze. "You're awake! You're all right!"

"Give him some room, Finni," Mey-Rin said, and Finni quieted a little and back off, just as another man entered from what looked to be a kitchen from what Ciel could see from the doorway. The blonde man had a rough, five-day stubble and deep shadows under his eyes, a cigarette unlit between his teeth. The moment he saw them, though, he came alive.

"Aw yeah!" Bardroy burst into a grin and gave the air a victory punch. "I knew you could make it, kid – I just knew it!"

"I-" Ciel tried to get a word in edgewise, but Mey-Rin was already hushing the others down as she carried him over to the settee, setting him down on the moth-eaten cushions.

"Just sit still for a bit, okay?" she said as Finni and Bard came over, Bardroy carrying what looked to be a doctor's stethoscope.

"Here, lemme have a listen to yer heart, kay?" Bard knelt in front of him and Ciel flinched away just a little.

"H-hey!" he said, trying to bat away the cooks hands. "What on earth is going on here?"

Bardroy paused a moment. "Don't sweat it, Ciel; you're okay. Confused? It's to be expected. We're here to help you, right?"

"Yeah – we were so worried when you passed out in the car," Finni interjected from over the back of the settee. "How do you feel? Headaches, dizziness?"

"I-I want something to drink. I'm parched." Ciel managed, and Mey-Rin nodded.

"I'll get you some lemonade."

"Lemon-what?" Ciel's brows furrowed in confusion as Mey-Rin turned on her heel and headed back towards the kitchen where Bard had emerged. He'd never heard of such a thing. "I want some tea!"

Finni's eyes widened a little. "But Ciel, Sebastian said that – "

"Sebastian?" Ciel interrupted in surprise. "He's here? Where is he?"

Bardroy turned and pointed across the sitting area to another settee, where a tall, shirtless, lanky man was lying face down with his face buried in a pillow. Black hair spilled across the pillow, a pair of reading glasses balanced on a tall tea cup on the floor next to the sofa with a long white coat spattered in red thrown over the back of the three-person settee. A bloodstained bandage was wrapped around the mans shoulder, and his wounded arm hung limply from the edge of the sofa, his hand resting on the floor. Ciel had to blink twice before he saw that it was indeed Sebastian, sleeping. They watched him for a moment, and Ciel allowed his eyes to wander over his butler. He could see Sebastian's ribs under his skin, the contours of his back leading all the way down to the pair of creased black pants, Sebastian's long legs kicked carelessly over the arm of the settee, too long for the sofa. His feet were clad in a pair of black boots that looked like they belonged in the army.

"What…happened to him?" Ciel found himself unable to raise his voice over a whisper, almost in fear of waking the sleeping butler. Mey-Rin appeared behind them, a glass of something clear and bubbling in her hands. Finni frowned.

"When we…rescued you, three nights ago. He…he got shot." He said softly, and Bardroy nodded with a sigh.

"Yeah. Poor bastard; wouldn't leave your side for a second until he was content that you'd wake up. Good thing we were able to fix up his bullet wound while he sat and watched over you," the cook said, and Ciel took in what they were saying slowly, before registering what Finni and just said.

"Wait, 'rescued'?" he repeated, and Finni nodded.

"That's right. You…don't remember?" he asked, his voice quavering a bit. Ciel shook his head slowly. Mey-Rin came and perched on the arm of the settee Ciel was seated on, reaching over to give his shoulder a small, affectionate rub as she handed him the glass of the mysterious 'lemonade'.

"We finally did it, Ciel. We got you out of there; me, Finni, Bard, Plu-Plu and Sebastian." She said, a weary smile on her face. Ciel blinked at her dumbly.

"W-what…?" he was interrupted by a very deep, very bored sounding sigh.

"It's only to be expected, Mey-Rin. Finni. Bard," the deep, smooth tones of Sebastian's voice came drifting to them from the other sofa, muffled by the pillow. They all looked over in surprise as the sleeping figure stirred. "Confusion and disorientation is a natural part of the recovery process. Don't expect miracles so early on, although I suppose it's a miracle in itself that he's awake at all."

Ciel watched as Sebastian gathered himself and pushed himself up with his good hand, moving carefully because of his wound. The butlers tired, sleepless eyes met his own wide ones, and Ciel looked upon the man he'd come to rely on more than anyone in the world.

Sebastian Michaelis looked like _hell_.

Like he hadn't slept in days; as if he had been working himself so hard he'd finally collapsed on the settee from exhaustion. As if he'd been holding out for something, until finally the lack of sleep or the adrenaline or whatever it was had finally gotten the better of him and he'd finally relented. Sebastian's hair was ruffled and untidy, the shirt he picked up from the floor was rumpled, and the laces on one of his boots were undone. He had never looked this way before, and that's what shocked Ciel the most.

"S-sebastian…" Ciel breathed as his butler took a long, deep yawn. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Sebastian looked back at him, a weary smile spreading across his face.

"It's good to see you alive and conscious again, Ciel Phantomhive." He said, one-handedly pulling the shirt over his shoulders but not bothering to button it. "We were all afraid you weren't going to make it."

"What do you mean?" Ciel asked, trying to hide the tremour in his voice. Something was amiss – something they weren't telling him. "What's going on?"

He saw Mey-Rin and Finnian exchange nervous glances out of the corner of his eye, but he refused to acknowledge them and focussed solely on Sebastian, who sighed deeply before replying.

"Best to start at the beginning, I suppose," Sebastian said, almost to himself. His melodically perfect English accent was just the same as Ciel had always remembered it, deep and soothing and flawless. "So let's begin. This will shock you, no doubt. But, Ciel Phantomhive, you have been asleep for the last three and a half years."

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

And what, my friends, doth ye think of that? Let me know in a review! The continuation of this story depends on the feedback you guys give!

_- Mercy_


	3. Chapter Two

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

Thank you all for your lovely reviews; I think it's safe to say that this story will be continued. I also think it's probably going to be the only one that's continued for a while now, as all my others, being on hiatus, have come to halt due to my terrible lack of imaginative ability and writers block.

I'll be writing more over the Christmas and New Year period, rest assured – and there will be the occasional update for my other stories, but this one is going to be my main focus for a while to come. I'm pretty over the top with ideas on how to get this one set up and going, and I hope I continue to please you all with the story.

Thanks again for taking the time to read – don't forget to review, though!

_- Mercy_

…

_perhaps I should also mention that I have now officially graduated from high school now. It's only taken me twelve years too many! 8D_

* * *

**Chapter Two:** The World That Was Is Nothing

**-:-**

Ciel found himself staring at the man before him. Sebastian returned the gaze, seemingly unfazed by the boy's shocked look. The entire room had gone quiet, although the sounds from the streets outside were still drifting in through the window.

"Three…what…?" the words wouldn't form proper sentences on his lips, and Ciel momentarily wondered if this was Sebastian's idea of a joke. But the whole atmosphere of the situation, the solemn stare of his butler, seemed to confirm that this was most certainly no jest.

"Well, technically not _asleep_, as such…" Finni said quietly from behind them, and they all turned to look at him. The boy swallowed as he suddenly realized that all eyes and ears were on him. "You were…kinda…put into, uh…"

"Perhaps I should explain," there was a tired note to Sebastian's voice, almost as if he'd been dreading this conversation for a long time. Ciel turned back to him, narrowing his eyes. Whatever was going on had better be explained good and proper, he thought, or else he'd be doing much more than squeezing fingers by the time his head stopped spinning.

There was a moment of quiet as they waited for Sebastian to begin, but the man merely rested his chin on one hand, his other dangling uselessly at his side, and he closed his eyes a moment, taking a long, deep breath before letting it out with an even deeper sigh.

"You were placed in several comatose states over the last three and a half years," he said quietly, and Ciel could hear a tinge of disgust in his voice. "In that time and within those comas, you were drugged, in order for you to be immersed into dream-like frames of mind, in which you would have experienced extraordinary grief, pain, loss, love, and other high-functioning emotions."

Ciel blinked. If he understood what half of what the man across from him was saying, he may have thought to reach over and slap Sebastian, because it sounded like a load of claptrap. But something made him hold back. Something that wasn't right.

"B-but, the mansion – what happened to it?" he murmured, looking around at the assembled group. "And…all of you – I thought I told you…"

"Told us what?" Mey-Rin asked, one eyebrow quirked. Ciel felt a twinge of irritation, thinking how that she would have usually held her tongue – she would have been more respectful. Usually.

"Told you – wait, how could you not remember? And what do you mean, I was drugged, Sebastian?" Ciel shot towards his butler. "Why didn't you save me before then, if this is even real? For all I know, _this_ is a dream."

"If this is a dream, it sure is damn screwed up," Bardroy muttered grimly, folding the stethoscope over in his hands. "What're you gonna do, _pinch yourself_ to wake up?"

"Bardroy," there was a hard undertone of disapproval in Sebastian's voice, and the cook fell quiet before Ceil could reply. All eyes were back on Sebastian as he redirected back to Ciel. "Now. None of this is going to make much sense. That's understandable."

"No it isn't!" Ciel snapped. "It's messed up – what on earth is going on? I want to wake up from this stupid dream!"

He stood suddenly, forgetting about the glass in his hands and letting it slip from his fingers. Everybody's eyes widened as the glass tumbled through the air before crashing onto the concrete floor at their feet. Shards of shattered glass covered in the bubbling water Mey-Rin had called lemonade splashed over Ciel's feet, and he gasped and stepped away in surprise, Bardroy taking him by the arm and pulling him back to stand away from the mess as Mey-Rin quickly knelt down to pick up the glass. Ciel watched, eyes wide. Usually, she would have tittered around, unsure of what to do, but this time, the girl moved smoothly and gracefully from the arm of the chair to the floor, her hands reaching for the shards that lay closest to Ciel's feet first.

"It's okay," Bard's voice murmured in his ear, and Ciel realized that he was trembling. How embarrassing – he tried to shake off the chef's hand, but Bard's grip was firm and he held him in place. "Hold on – let Mey-Rin clean up the glass. You're not wearin' shoes, and we don't want you to cut yourself."

"That's right," Finni chirped, sounding a little worried. "You're still pretty delicate right now, Ciel – you're bodies not used to being back out in the open yet, or even moving."

"You've gotta be a bit more careful," Mey-Rin said, picking up the shattered glass piece-by-piece. Finni headed into another room and returned with a ceramic plate, handing it to Mey-Rin to put the broken glass on. She got to her feet. "I'll be back in a tick with a broom."

She took the plate away, and Ciel found himself staring numbly at the floor where the glass had been. Sebastian stood, and he looked up to see just how tall Sebastian was – it had never quite dawned on him that he only stood as tall as the bottom of Sebastian's upper torso, and even though Sebastian was more skin and bones than anything, he still had an impressively daunting figure.

"You're just like that glass, Ciel," Sebastian said quietly. "You are so fragile right now, which is why this will take some getting used to."

"What will?" Ciel murmured as Mey-Rin returned, and Finni helped her to sweep the smaller shards of glass into a dustpan. "What are you all doing gathered here in this …this _place_ and what the blazes did Mey-Rin mean when she said you'd all finally got me out of _there_? Out of _where_?"

Bardroy let Ciel go, and the boy turned to see the cook's surprised expression.

"What?"

"You…honestly don't remember?" Bardroy asked softly, but Sebastian held up a hand.

"That isn't important, Bard. What is important is that Ciel feel that he is safe here and that he can trust us, just the way he used to. Ciel, what was the last thing you can remember?" the black-haired man asked, and Ciel blinked.

"Uh – well…you were – _we_ were going…somewhere…" it dawned in him that he suddenly had no memory of where Sebastian had planned on going. He remembered that words had been passed between them as the wind had whipped through their hair before the descent, and it felt for all the world that yes, he should be able to remember clearly, but the memory was fading, almost like a dream he'd promised himself he'd remember, but was now forgetting.

"Were you prepared for the…uh, going?" Sebastian asked, and Ciel chewed his lip nervously. It felt like he was being interrogated, and he didn't like that feeling. It made him feel small, defenceless – and he was made to feel this way by his butler, of all people. He _hated_ it when Sebastian had made him feel this way.

"I felt…like I knew we were going," he said slowly, and Sebastian nodded along, giving him time to continue. "And…you – you were angry, but you didn't show it. As if you didn't want to show that you…"

He couldn't finish as he came to realize what he was saying. Mey-Rin had rejoined them from the kitchen area after stowing the broom away, and along with Finni, Bardroy and Sebastian, was watching him intently, their eyes wide as they waited. As if this was the most outrageous story they'd ever heard.

"As if I didn't want to show you that I what, Ciel?" Sebastian asked, his voice low, but it held no malice – instead, if anything, it was curious, as if he truly didn't remember the conversation that felt like an eternity ago. "What was it?"

Ciel found his lip trembling – if he didn't keep a hold on himself, he would cry, and that would make him look even more weak and pathetic than he did already. This …this dream, or whatever was happening, felt more like a nightmare.

"That you…hated me…" Ciel screwed up his face and quickly scrubbed the back of his hand across his eyes to brush away any tattle-tail tears before they managed to grow large enough to trickle down his cheeks. Finni let out a small gasp, but he clapped a hand over his mouth as he looked from boy to butler. Mey-Rin and Bardroy's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and when Ciel finally dared to raise his own eyes to Sebastian, he saw the look of shock on the mans face.

"C-Ciel…" Mey-Rin whispered, but Sebastian raised his hand to quiet her. He seemed to have absolute authority over the three of them; they all looked to him for the answers, and not to Ciel. What had happened? Why had Ciel been locked away wherever he had been and needed rescuing? Why didn't they acknowledge him as their master anymore?

"Well," Sebastian said after a pause that was perhaps a little too long for comfort. "I can't say I wasn't…thoroughly impressed with the whole situation, but I can say for certain that hating you, of all things, was not the intended impression."

Ciel couldn't fight back the tears anymore. He let them run free.

"Then why?!" he cried. He knew he was being childish but he felt entitled to it – just a bit. There was so much they were holding back from him; it was completely unfair in his eyes. "Why didn't you just eat my soul before that bastard Claude stole it?! Why didn't you protect me? Why are we damned to be the bane of each others existence _for the rest of our lives_?!"

His voice had gone from a childish squeak to a tantrum-like yell, and when he stopped, the entire house was quiet, everybody staring at him in shock. Sebastian especially. Ciel heaved a deep breath, glaring at them all, daring them to say something. Something to comfort him, something to calm him down. But instead, they just stared at him, gaping like fish out of water.

"_Well_?" He demanded, turning back to Sebastian. "Answer me, Sebastian!"

Sebastian was the first of the group to regain his composure, but before he could say anything, there was a soft knock from a door across the room that had remained unopened. It creaked open a crack, and the other suddenly flew into action – Mey-Rin pulled a handgun from the waistband of her pants and whirled to aim it at the door, Finni grabbed Ciel and pulled him back so that the older blonde boy was standing in front of him, and Bardroy pulled up a large shotgun from behind the settee, all of them watching the door as it opened far enough for someone to poke their head through.

It was the one person Ciel least expected to see.

"Whoa, _whoa_, hey!" Pluto said, stepping in and holding up his hands in surrender. "What'd I do this time guys?"

Everyone suddenly sagged, and Mey-Rin and Bard lowered their firearms with sighs of relief. Finnian stood up straight from his protective stance in front of Ciel, and Sebastian let out the breath he'd been holding.

"We were expecting someone else." He said, and Ciel watched, agape, as the young man standing in the doorway shrugged modestly. Ciel had never known that Pluto had been capable of speech.

"What, with me standing guard?" Pluto said through a rather thick cockney accent, a look of scepticism on his face. "Never. You gotta have more faith, doc – trust me occasionally, will ya? I wouldn't let no one come bargin' in – not after the mission."

"Then why are you here?" Bardroy asked, setting his rifle up against the wall. "I thought you were keeping and eye on the street."

"I was," Pluto said, yawning and stretching. "But I heard some yellin' from in here and I wanted to find out what was going on."

The demon hound in his human form nearly rivalled Bardroy in height, Ciel realized, and the silver-haired young man looked down on him like he would a child of five years old.

"Just the kid, though, huh?" he asked with a smile, and Ciel felt his cheeks colour with mortification. Sebastian nodded.

"Yes. However," he added, a slightly harsher sound tinting his voice. "The _kid_ has a name, you know. First and foremost, he is one of _us_, and he will not be treated any other way. Especially not as a patient."

"Oh yeah," Pluto said sheepishly. "Sorry Ciel."

"How dare you call me that!" Ciel found a newborn anger welling up inside of him, and he turned on the others as well. "You lot, too! I may have dismissed you all, but you should still be respectful to my title! Why aren't any of you addressing me properly?!" Then, thinking of something else, he turned back to Pluto. "And _you_! _You're_ supposed to be _dead_!"

"_What_?!" Pluto cried incredulously.

Another round of shocked stares greeted him, and, as before, Sebastian was the first to find his voice.

"I thought we'd established this," he muttered to himself in exasperation before looking up to address Ciel. "Whatever you can remember previously, Ciel, is a complete lie. You probably only remember us because of the memories of your life previous to the one you think you're still living. But the truth is, you've been under the influence of experimental drug testing."

Ciel went to object and retaliate, but the words dried up on his tongue – he'd never heard of anything this absurd, and it surprised him into silence.

"Hey," Pluto piped up suddenly, and Ciel turned to him. "I've got an idea. What year is it, Ciel?"

"W-what sort of question is that?" he asked. "It's eighteen-eighty-nine, you idiot!"

When silence greeted him one more time, he looked around at the surprise on everyone's faces.

"Wow," Bard breathed. "Those must have been pretty amazing drugs."

"_Bardroy_ – this is serious," Sebastian snapped. "Ciel is incredibly disorientated right now, and while it's to be expected, being an ass won't help."

"So, uh – who wants to break the news to the kid, then?" asked Pluto, and they all looked around at each other nervously. Ciel waited for them to say something, anything – that would make more sense than this entire situation, but no one said a word.

"What?!" he cried. "What is it? Just tell me! I demand to know what the hell is going on!"

Mey-Rin and Finni exchanged glances again, before Finnian finally spoke after looking to Sebastian as well, who nodded.

"I-it's…uh…the year is two thousand and eleven, Ciel," he said quietly, and if they hadn't all had such serious expressions, Ciel would have called them all insane.

"Sheesh," Bard muttered. "He thinks he's been livin' a hundred and twenty-two years in the past."

"I-I don't understand," Ciel took a step back, away from them. "It's not possible. You're…you're all here, that much time can't have passed!" he turned to Sebastian, desperate for his help. "What happened?"

But Sebastian shook his head.

"I've told you what's happened, Ciel," he said. "And it's the truth. I wouldn't lie to you – I promised you that I would never lie. I also told you that this is going to be hard to accept."

Something clenched inside of Ciel's chest, and he felt like his heart was tearing in two – one part of him desperately wanted to believe Sebastian, because Sebastian didn't lie, wouldn't keep any secrets this big from him, and the other part wanted to run, far, far away, until he couldn't run anymore, because he didn't want to believe that this was real. It was too real to be real. He was somewhere in the future, somewhere he shouldn't be, without a clue what was really going on and only Sebastian. Sebastian, and Mey-Rin and Finni and Bardroy and Pluto. Where…where was Tanaka? The thought only briefly crossed his mind before Sebastian spoke again.

"Ciel," the mans voice was soft, and Ciel could almost have believed that he sounded caring, if he didn't already know the demons true nature.

"W-what?"

"Will you sit down? Sit, and talk to us. Help us to better understand what you've been through. You seem to believe that at some point in time, we were all subservient to you – and that's…sort of true," Sebastian said, sitting back down himself and resting his chin on his good hand, his wounded arm still hanging limply. "So tell us your story. Tell us everything, from start to finish."

Ciel looked down at him, and what he saw actually surprised him – Sebastian's eyes were pleading. Tired, worn out and exhausted, but there was a pleading look that was undeniable, and Ciel could have mistaken it for pity. He looked around at the rest of the group – Finni and Mey-Rin were standing close to each other, as if they needed each others support, Bardroy was watching him carefully, and Pluto was back at the door – a door that lead to the outside world – like a guard dog, his arms folded across his chest.

Everyone he'd ever truly come to think of as family was assembled. Everyone except for the Phantomhive steward, Mister Tanaka. They were watching, waiting. Their expressions held sadness, as if they pitied him for not understanding what was going on. But beyond the pity, Ciel could almost see that they cared.

He sat back down.

As he began to speak, Ciel allowed his gaze to wander from one person to the next – to Mey-Rin, who listened with some amazement as he described her klutziness as a maid, and how her obscurely massive glasses made her even worse. Then, to Finni – who blushed crimson as Ciel spoke of his tragic gardening, and to Bardroy, who would chuckle sheepishly as Ciel depicted his cooking skills and preferences with a flamethrower. To Pluto, who looked a little chuffed with himself when Ciel told about how he had been a demon hound who had protected the mansion and had extraordinary fire-breathing capabilities. And finally to Sebastian, who simply sat and listened in wonder, as Ciel found himself somewhat praising the butlers' works and accomplished feats.

Ciel spoke about the loss of his family, the torture of the cult, the rescue…and then the work of the Queen's watch dog, earl of London's underworld. As real as it all seemed to him, he could see the amazement growing on each of their faces as he recounted the past three years. How the angel Ashe had manipulated the Queen, how there was curry and ice sculpting contests that went wrong and were saved from devastation by the works of Sebastian, how they had inevitably crossed paths with the Death God Dispatch Society on more than one occasion.

Jack the Ripper, Sir Houndsworth, Elizabeth Midford and her maid Paula, Drocell Keinz, the moronic mortician the Undertaker and his corky antics, Sir Randall and detective Abberline, Grell Sutcliff, Angelina Durless, William T Spears, Angela, Lau and his demonette Ran Mau, Azzuro Vanel of the Ferro family – all of these people tumbled from Ciel's lips, their lives, their deaths, their paths that coincided with Ciel's search for vengeance for his own family and self. Claude Faustus and Alois Trancy; Hannah Annafellows and the Demon Triplets. Abberline's replacement on a runaway train. The things that happened – every detail that Ciel could possibly remember, he relayed to them. He found tears gathering in his eyes, wondering why they didn't remember all of these events, these things that happened. He wished, time and again, when he mentioned someone knew, for recognition to dawn on their faces and for them to pipe up with how they remembered when something he'd said had happened – but time and again he was disappointed as they only continued to listen and to watch, their expressions moving from sadness to surprise to shock and then, slowly, back to sadness.

As he recounted the final days that he could remember, the fights between himself and Alois that ended in bloodshed and tears, the demons dual that he was barely even aware of, and his own death and rebirth and leaving of London for Oblivion with Sebastian forever at his side, Ciel came to realize that tears weren't just gathering in his own eyes, but in Finni and Mey-Rin's too. When he finally fell quiet, the silence that drifted between them all was pierced only by the sounds of traffic somewhere outside the door that Pluto guarded.

"Wow," Bardroy murmured after the solemn atmosphere had sunk in. "That was…"

"Tragic," Sebastian finished. Ciel looked up, expecting to see Sebastian watching him mockingly, but the black haired man simply gazed back at him, his face completely void of any sign of emotion other than the slight downturn of his mouth – the barely noticeable touch of a frown on his forehead.

Ciel fidgeted uncomfortably, knowing that they were all silently judging him. Finni wiped away the tears and sniffled, but no one else really had the gal to speak for a while. Mey-Rin busied herself with bringing in more drinks from the kitchen – more of the lemonade, and poured everyone a glass. After speaking for such a long time, Ciel found his throat even drier than before, and he sucked down the fizzy lemon tasting beverage without question. It tingled on his tongue and it made his eyes water a little when he swallowed too much at once, but it was manageable enough and it did soothe his throat immensely. Finally, after a long time of everyone wrapped up in their own thoughts, Pluto was the one to break the silence.

"I think …I reckon I understand," he said slowly, and everybody turned their eyes to him. "It's like, he almost knew, subconsciously, y'know? Like he could almost hear what was happenin' outside the drug treatment and all, hear what we were sayin' – and whatever the hell he was dosed with warped it so that it seemed like the impossible really existed. In, like, the past but."

"Got enough 'likes' in that sentences, Plu?" Bardroy asked, somewhat bitterly, but he was shushed by Sebastian.

"Actually, that's not a bad theory." He said with consideration, and Pluto grinned smugly at Bard. Ciel waited for Sebastian, not daring to say anything. He still wasn't sure if anything they were saying was true, but he didn't exactly have any place to go or any way of figuring it out by himself in his current state. "I think…maybe Pluto's right."

"For real?" Finni breathed curiously. "Wow – that does actually make sense. It's as if…I dunno, Ciel could hear the conversations we had. Remembered stuff, you know? The chronology's a little bit messed up but most of the same stuff's there just on a different level. Like the treatment _made_ it different."

"Yes, Finni," Sebastian nodded. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Ciel never actually stopped fighting."

Ciel flinched a little as he realized the look Sebastian was giving him – it was like a mix of both intrigue and disgust, but there was a small smirk slowly spreading across Sebastian's features – it nearly reached the same size as the smirk that Ciel had grown used to seeing his butler wear with pride day in and day out.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," he murmured, and Sebastian nodded again.

"That's completely all right. We wouldn't expect you to – after all, we have a lot of explaining to do ourselves," he replied, and Ciel bit his lip. On the one hand, he wanted to know their side of the story, but on the other, he was frightened that it would be a lot worse than his.

"It's okay, Ciel," Mey-Rin said softly, coming and sitting next to him on the settee. She was still a little pink in the cheeks from trying to hold back her tears, but she smiled through it and gently took one of his hands in her own. "If you don't want to hear it, we won't say it."

"Say what…?" he asked, and Bardroy cleared his throat.

"Give you our side of it," the chef said a little gruffly. "It's…uh, kinda…"

"Violent." Sebastian said quietly from the other sofa. He still had his chin resting on his hand, and though his eyes were half lidded they remained carefully watching Ciel, as if making observations and calculations within his head for later use. "Bloody. Full of lies and backstabbing bastards and deceit. It's heartbreaking and sickening, Ciel Phantomhive, and if you do not wish to hear it, stop me now."

Ciel swallowed. So it was worse. At first, that though struck him as odd – what could possibly be worse than the pain and humiliation, the grief and anguish that he'd suffered through? How could Sebastian possibly claim that there was another story that was just as grave as his own? But then, he realized that this was possible, because wasn't everything else at this point?

"I-I don't know," he whispered. "I don't know anymore. I don't know if any of this is actually real – I haven't seen any proof of it."

He saw from the corner of his eye, Bardroy giving Sebastian a sideways glance. Sebastian returned the minute gesture before sighing and nodding to Bard, who silently left the room. Ciel turned to see him go, but Sebastian called his attention back.

"If you'd really like proof, then I will tell you something. Demons and Faustian contracts are pure myth, Ciel." He said, and Ciel blinked in surprise.

"B-but how can you…" he began as Bardroy returned with what looked like a small mirror. Sebastian raised his left hand, which he had previously kept palm-up, because it was his wounded arm, resting it on the sofa. He winced in pain and had to hold up his wrist with his other hand for Ciel to see the back of his hand.

It was bare.

Ciel opened his mouth to speak, but no sound left his lips. Then, Bardroy handed him the small mirror, and Ciel reached up to brush the hair from his eyes – more correctly, to brush the hair away from his right eye, which held the sign on the contract. He found himself trembling in fear as he blinked, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing.

His right eye was the very same sapphire blue as his left. He looked back at Sebastian, who watched him solemnly, the mans own dull crimson-to-brown eyes gazing back at his own, terrified blue orbs. Ciel looked back down at the mirror again, just to make sure there was no mistake.

"I-I…"

"There are no demons in this world like the one you think I am," Sebastian said, very quietly, his velvet voice holding both bitterness and pity. "There's only the bastards that did this to you."

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

Yay another cliffy! 8D if you're a regular reader of mine, you're almost certain to know how fond I am of these things by now XD. So sorry about that, peoples – but I couldn't resist leaving it on another one of Sebastian's lines.

I'll certainly have fun with this story.

Please review. It's like….an addiction. Your wonderful words are my drug, you're all my dealers, and my crappy internet is my police.

REVIEW. And I will reign many more chapters upon you! 3

_- Mercy_


	4. Chapter Three

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

You guys are too fabulous for words and I love you all.

Now that that's said and done, there's only a minor thing I want to get all up in the air about and it's been nagging me for a while.

I'm a flexible writer, but let's face it; I friggin HATE original characters. I use them ONLY as a way to keep the story going. I'm currently in a DEATH MATCH with one of my other Kuro stories, _**The Thing About Death**_, because I hate my OC of Alexis so much. It's getting so bad that I'm considering taking the story down. This is why I tend to stick ONLY to the canon characters of a story when I'm writing a fanfiction, unless I absolutely need a character who isn't in it to pop up. Sometimes they stick – I mean, hell – look at Dr Lenkov and Johanna from _**My Autistic Brother**_. I got told I should enter them BOTH in some sort of OC Awards competition thing, but I didn't because I had no clue what the hell I was doing.

Anyway. Original characters are all well and good I suppose if they've got reason to be there. But if you're going to write a story about Ciel's long-lost sister or some random mary-sue neko pussy demoness thing suddenly catching Sebastian's interest (I'm sorry I'm picking on Kuroshitsuji, but these are just two examples I've seen MANY times), then you're only writing what every one else has written before and it's not really something you can call an original fangirls fantasy. And and URGH I hate this argument, I hate arguing, wtf am I doing. =_=

So yeah. I'm sorry that I'm in a crap mood. Once you've read this chapter, please go read _**The Thing About Death**_ and tell me whether or not you hate Alexis just as much as I do.

_- Mercy_

…

_Review or Sebastian gets shot again._

* * *

**Chapter Three:** New World Improbabilities

-:-

"Doctor Sebastian Michaelis," Bardroy began dramatically, clearing his throat and catching them all off guard. "Was an invaluable member of the staffing association at a large children's' medical facility known only as The Hospital. He was renown for being able to cure just about any illness or injury in record time – earning him the nickname of the Devil Doctor, coz we all liked to joke about how he must've been using some sorta dark magic on his patients."

Ciel raised an eyebrow, still not quite able to come to terms with the fact that his Faustian contract mark was gone. Sebastian's hand was bare. It didn't seem possible or logical.

"S-so how do you explain the contract I quite clearly made with him, then, if you insist that it was my subconscious playing on things I'd supposedly heard?" he asked, not even bothering to try to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Aw that's easy," Pluto said. "Sebastian become well known for signing incredibly high-paying contracts with his patients – only the very best could afford his services. That's where you come in." He reached over and patted Ciel's head lightly. Ciel pulled a face and brushed his hand away.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"What he means is, you were a patient at the Hospital," Mey-Rin interjected. "And we were the medical team of assistants assigned with Sebastian to you."

"You see," Sebastian said with a sigh. "Your parents were incredibly rich, prestigious figures in the English limelight. So, of course, only the very best treatment was to be given to their beloved son when he became ill with a terrible case of pneumonia; the illness only to be worsened every time you stepped outside without warm enough clothes on in addition to your weak immune system and asthma."

Ciel looked around at them, expecting someone to crack a smile and claim that they were all just kidding. But they were all deadly serious – and that not only surprised him, but also scared him a little. They were going to give him their side of the story, and he was almost certain that they were going to give it to him straight up, no jest or hoaxes.

"So, if this is true, what happened that I became an…uh…comatose patient?" he asked. "Pneumonia is a common illness that's often over dramatized."

"In not your case," Finni replied, his brows drawn together. "You had one of the worst cases we'd even seen – it took Sebastian a week alone to just get the medication doses right for you, and then another two and a half weeks for the treatment to start working properly."

Ciel turned to Sebastian. "So _you're_ the one who drugged me," he said accusingly, but the black haired man shook his head.

"Don't be stupid; I would never do experiment drug testing on a child," Sebastian snapped back, and Ciel was surprised by the harshness of his words and his bitter tone. "I was a medical professional – extremely accomplished in my field of work even if I do say so myself. However, after the first couple of weeks of treatment, your illness showed signs of improving. And then, the improvement stopped and you were suddenly going backwards; you were getting sick again. No one knew why."

"You were the first case that really had Sebastian stumped; nothing he tried would help," Mey-Rin said softly, and Ciel swallowed, realizing that she was still holding his hands in hers comfortingly. He didn't try to pull away. "And that's when you disappeared."

"Disappeared?" he repeated, and Bardroy nodded.

"S'right. One morning we all showed up for work and you weren't there. Not in the private ward, not anywhere – no one would tell us what was going on til Sebastian was paid a visit by your mother. God, she was a wreck." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as if it pained him there.

"My mother…" Ciel could see Rachael Phantomhive's face, so clear and so beautiful in his mind, and he wondered if she looked the same in this life. If she was still alive – but no, she had died. Hadn't she?

"Indeed," Sebastian continued. "She was heartbroken – the Hospital management had broken the news to her that you had passed away in the very early morning about half an hour before my shift began. I couldn't believe it when she demanded to know why I wasn't the one to have been there for you. I didn't want to believe it."

Sebastian lowered his head, as if he were disgraced, and Ciel blinked away the sore feeling that was building up behind his eyes. He didn't want to cry again – but the sight of this man before him, the man he'd put his complete faith and trust into, looking as if this failure had brought his entire world crashing down.

"None of us wanted to believe it," Pluto said bitterly. "Of course, I don't turn up til later, but when I heard the news that one of Doctor Michaelis' patients had died, it was a real knock back. Everyone knew that he had a flawless record for patients – no one _ever _died on his watch."

"But – but I'm very much alive," Ciel objected, feeling a wave of déjà vu as he remembered in incident not so long ago when he'd said the very same thing to Sebastian during the last carriage ride.

"That's where things started getting weird around the Hospital," Finni said. "A couple of other children mysteriously 'died' too – in fact, one of them was a Miss Elizabeth Midford – like the one you said you knew!"

"Yeah – you were in the same ward for a bit, come to think of it," Bard said thoughtfully. "So obviously she was like us in your minds eye. You had the memories of us and your imagination played on that when combined with the drug treatment."

"Not a bad assumption, Bardroy," Sebastian conceded, and Bardroy puffed out his chest and smirked proudly. "However, the Hospital merely put this sudden rash of deaths up to a slight contamination issue in one of the wards, and had the rest of the children evacuated from there and moved elsewhere. But it didn't change the fact that my reputation was crushed and in shambles. Ciel Phantomhive, the one boy I couldn't save. Vincent Phantomhive, your father, was threatening to sue the Hospital, but like a fool I tried to stop him, and told him that should he want to sue anyone, it should have been me, for I was the one who let him and his wife down."

"Y-you…you did that?" Ciel murmured, and Mey-Rin nodded.

"Yep; Sebastian wanted to show so badly that he was just as upset by your sudden disappearance as they were, he was ready to give everything up." She smiled sadly, and Sebastian gave her a grateful nod. "But then our entire medical team was taken off the Hospital's work roster – we were officially no longer workers there and had no way of understanding why until we were all summoned to a smaller sub-branch of the facility that pretty much no one knew about. If people knew about it or worked there, they were sworn to secrecy, and we were no exception."

"That's right. It's the underground sector," Finni nodded along. "And then…then we were shown that you were actually still alive."

"Alive, but in dire need of medical attention," Sebastian said bitterly. "They'd completely neglected your medical needs and you'd become incredibly ill – there was so much rubbish clogging your lungs that surgery was necessary to save your life. But that was what we were taken down there to do; to keep you alive."

Ciel swallowed self consciously and looked down at himself – he was clothes simply in a white shirt that was two sizes too big and a pair of soft faded cotton shorts. He took a peek down the shirt at his body, and choked back a cry of shock as he saw a pinkish scar trailing down his chest.

"That in itself should be proof enough that I'm not lying to you, Ciel," Sebastian nodded at him, and Ciel found himself blushing a deep crimson. It wasn't as if Sebastian hadn't seen him unclothed before; it was the idea of the man reaching inside of him, and slicing him open with a knife to do so. Something flipped over in his nearly empty stomach.

"All right…then what?"

"Well, we were officially 'disappeared' too," Bardroy sighed, leaning against the arm of Sebastian's settee. "Our names were wiped from any official documents, everything – to the rest of the world, we no longer existed."

"The bastards even had the gal to go and say that Sebastian had been so upset by his failure that he'd topped himself so the public wouldn't ask any questions," Pluto spat, and the others nodded as Ciel's eyes widened. "Course, that would never happen."

"Absolutely out of the question," agreed Sebastian. "As if I would let a massive failure bring me down. Especially since I was able to discover that I hadn't failed at all. If I couldn't do that much, what sort of doctor would I be?"

Ciel choked back the words he so desperately wanted to say, how Sebastian would always say something as conceited as that…only, as a butler instead. But he resisted, and instead cast his eyes back to his lap.

"What happened after that?" he murmured, and Sebastian sighed deeply.

"Once we'd brought you back to a point where your body was able to heal itself of the sickness once we'd done as much as we possibly could, instead of being released we were kept in the underground sector as lab assistants and doctors – we were your newly crowned team known as 'Keepers'; people who were to watch over and monitor you constantly." He said, casting a glance around at everyone else. "Mey-Rin was just a nurse, Bardroy an assistant doctor and Finni was an intern in training; no one deserved to be trapped down there, least of all you Ciel, but we weren't allowed to leave at first. Those who tried needed…_convincing_. It was only after that, about six months later, when we were allowed to resign."

"Any of us 'cept Sebastian, that is." Bardroy murmured.

"What kind of convincing?" Ciel asked, and he looked down at his hands as he felt Mey-Rin tremble ever so slightly. He glanced up at her face – her eyes betrayed no fear, but there was a tension across her lips as if she were trying to prevent herself from an audible reaction. He looked to Finni and Bardroy – Bard coughed and looked away, unable to meet his eyes, and Finni was chewing on his lip, clearly uncomfortable. Pluto was unable to look at any of them, and had turned away to lean on the doorframe.

Sebastian watched them all for a moment too, and chose his words carefully. "It was…a rather difficult process for some. You were the only patient to have so many Keepers, and the organization that governed the underground sector thought most of them were…shall we say, _expendable_, if they were still uncooperative."

"T-they…they…" Finni quavered, swallowing hard as tears suddenly began to run down his cheeks. Ciel watched him in alarm, and Bardroy gave the younger blonde a comforting pat on the shoulder. "They wanted us…us to leave…but then again they didn't…coz they thought we'd d-do somethin' stupid…spill their secrets…"

Ciel went to say something, but he caught sight of Sebastian reaching across to the young blonde boy with his good hand. Sebastian's fingers brushed Finni's knee, a gentle stroke, and the boy grabbed hold of Sebastian's hand and cradled it to his chest, unable to stop himself from heaving sobs of grief. The solemn look on Sebastian's face never once wavered, and Bardroy gave Finni's quivering arms a rub for reassurance, but Ciel had never once seen Sebastian make such a display of affection for any of them before. He'd never once reached out to any of them when they were upset in the Phantomhive manor. It was…so surreal. It made them all seem so much more vulnerable.

"They really did a number on poor Finni," Bardroy said bitterly, rubbing circular motions on Finni's shoulders calmingly. "He's as good as he'll get but he gave up everything to be able to stay beside you. They wanted to get rid of him, coz he was just an intern an' all, but he fought them. Nail and tooth."

Ciel watched as Finnian cried, seemingly relentlessly, until finally the tears subsided away to hiccups and awkward sniffles. Sebastian's hand was nearly dripping with the salty tears, but the black haired man said nothing as Finnian tried to recompose himself. When he wasn't crying anymore, Finni sheepishly rubbed Sebastian's hand dry on his shirt before letting it go. The smallest smile graced Sebastian's face, but then it was gone and they turned back to the explanation at hand.

"How…what sort of monsters would do that? Over employment?" Ciel mused quietly, and Pluto coughed suddenly, but it sounded more as if he was covering up a harsh laugh.

"It was more a matter of confidentiality," Sebastian corrected simply. "But in any case. Whilst they were…erm, reminding us of our job and our place and ensuring that we knew what consequences there would be should we not abide, they neglected my every warning against it and performed a minor surgery on you of their own."

"W-what did they do…?" Ciel stammered, and quickly patted himself up and down – he couldn't feel any other scars…

"It was a small job; the surgeon was deft and very highly skilled. Not as much as myself, of course, but he did a thorough job of it." Sebastian said, with both admiration and disgust, before pointing straight at Ciel's face. "They performed a minor brain surgery on you. And although they refused to tell me what exactly they were doing, I think it's fairly clear in the circumstances."

"What? _What did they do to me_?!" Ciel cried, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair, searching for a scar. His stomach flipped again squeamishly as the sensitive pads on his fingers found the soft ridges of scar tissue. The scar ran from about midway up his skull all the way to the base of it. He couldn't contain a shiver.

"They removed a tiny piece of brain matter." Sebastian said quite plainly. "To be more specific, the section of your brain that stores the data for recollection and memory. At least, that's what I believe because it's one of the viable possibilities to explain why you have no memory of the life you were living before hand which then allowed for the tissue to regrow, completely blank, before having you submerged into the drug induced comatose state."

Something akin to watery bile threatened to slide up Ciel throat, but he forced it back down and made himself take several deep breaths – they racked his body and made him shiver, and Mey-Rin rubbed his hands gently.

"They took my…my memories?" he whispered, and Sebastian nodded. "W-why would they do that?"

"Because they're sick," the black haired man narrowed his eyes.

"Sadistic," mumbled Finni.

"Cruel," Mey-Rin added.

"Heartless," Bardroy rolled an unlit cigarette between his teeth.

"Merciless," Pluto said quietly from the doorway. His gaze was fixed elsewhere, refusing to look at any of them. Ciel felt that there was more to it than mere disgust at the entire situation – it was almost like Pluto felt ashamed to be among them. Like he felt he wasn't worthy to stand with them against this 'organisation'. But he said no more, and there was another silence that settled upon them. The sombreness in the atmosphere was thick, and everyone could feel it, that much Ciel was certain of.

Turning these new thoughts over in his mind, still sickened by the fact that there was undoubtedly a piece of him missing, Ciel felt anger flare up and burn beneath his skin. This was unfathomable, unbelievable – it was like facing the cult of rabid idiots that the angel Angela had wrapped around her little finger.

And there was another name that had made everyone pause – the moment he had mentioned her and his counterpart Ashe, butler to the Queen of England, everyone's eyes had widened a bit, but they'd all quickly recovered. Like they didn't want him to know that those names had more significance than just being from his own imagination. Was it possible that he'd met one of them before in this reality? Or, like Pluto and Finni had said – perhaps he'd overheard something, his subconscious taking little pieces of information and warping them into something bigger. It hurt his head to think about but there was one thing that he realized was a certainty.

"We have to stop them." He said suddenly, quietly, and he rose to his feet. They all gave him surprised looks. "No matter what they've done or who they've done it to. They have to be stopped."

Bardroy was the first to take up the encouragement.

"Yeah!" he crowed, coming to stand behind Ciel and clap a hand gently onto his shoulder. "The kids right – this has gone on three years too long; the next step is bringing down the Hospital – you said so yourself, Sebastian."

Sebastian sighed.

"I did. But there are still plenty of children inside, still being experimented on. If we were to openly expose the facility now, the Dispatch would be all over it like ugly on an ape. And then we'd never see those children again, and those children would most likely never see the light of day ever again." He said pointedly, and the sudden upheaval of hope in the room dampened a little.

"The Dispatch?" Ciel repeated, and Pluto nodded.

"Yeah – a rogue agency that used to work for the government but now plays by it's own rules, repeatedly provin' that it's better than any formally regulated agency. They work for whatever money is good; and they've been investigating the Hospital for the past two and a bit years. The case nearly went cold for them about six months ago, but the moment there's any shred of evidence apparent they step in and whisk it away. And it's never seen again." He said, before sending a glance at Ciel. "That also means that if you get seen and identified as the long-lost Phantomhive kid, they'll be after us too, and won't stop until they have you under lock and key."

"You'll be used as evidence – you won't be treated like a child, you'll be treated like just another case of paperwork," Bardroy added. "So we've got to keep you as quiet and layin' low a while, okay?"

Ciel sighed, not liking the feeling of being babied so much, but then he realized that this was almost the same way that they would have protected him the way he remembered. The Phantomhive servants always put their master first, even if it meant getting hurt. Nonetheless, he was the reason they were putting themselves in danger, so he might as well act like he was worthy of protecting.

"I still say that this Hospital needs to be stopped," he said, and now both Finni and Mey-Rin were nodding along too. "And I'm not going let a few missing memories get in my way."

"_That's_ the Phantomhive kid I remember," Pluto chuckled smugly, and even Sebastian was smirking, still looking up at Ciel from his seat on the settee.

"Indeed – it seems that you're trying to live up to the visage of yourself you created in your head," he murmured, and Ciel scowled down at him, not sure if he was laughing at him or supporting him.

"I'm not doing this because I want live up to myself," he said. "I'm doing this because I want answers. I want my memories back – if this is all real, then I don't want to have the past three years of my life to have been for nothing."

He glanced over his shoulders to see that Finni, Mey-Rin and Pluto had all come to stand behind him, too. Whatever their own personal motives were, they were supporting him. He nearly felt like he was a part of their small, rag-tag family. Finally, Sebastian smirked and stood to face them all properly.

"Well in that case," he sighed, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "I suppose we should make a start on it, then."

Finnian and Mey-Rin cheered, and Ciel found himself almost smiling too. It felt a little bit alien, as if he had been scowling or frowning for so long that smiling was almost a chore. But the tiniest smile that he managed had caught Sebastian's eye, and the doctor looked down at him with dark crimson eyes that held a kind of certainty, as if Sebastian had been confident that Ciel would have taken this sort of action. Like his trust in Ciel was absolute, and all he needed was Ciel's faith in return.

"So what's the first move?" Ciel asked quietly as the others cheered and slapped high-fives behind them. Sebastian shrugged his good shoulder.

"First step is to get you back to a hundred percent – there's still a lot you don't know and won't for a while, and you need time to recover from any shock that may have occurred. Keep in mind that you have only just woken up properly for the first time in nearly four years. In the meantime we'll lie low until the excitement from your rescue has died down – no doubt something got leaked to the news already." He said, and Ciel smirked.

"What, like as a missing child report?" he asked. " 'Phantomhive child mysteriously reappears after being dead for three years'?"

Sebastian didn't resist a small chuckle. "Perhaps – the media will believe anything these days if you give it enough credit. There was always a lot of mystery surrounding your disappearance and 'death' – there were reporters following me for two weeks before I also disappeared."

"Interesting," Ciel nodded. "What if that's how we expose the Hospital, then? By feeding the public bits and pieces of information until the Dispatch picks up on it? After we've sprung all the other children, of course."

Sebastian considered it for a moment. "It may be possible, but don't forget that the Hospital is, without a doubt, already looking for you and is quite probably sending out people to hunt _me _down; I was after all the one who was seen running away with you. And even if we could expose them, we'd be exposing ourselves to the Dispatch. And even if we managed to avoid _them_, we'd still have at last a dozen confused, traumatized, disorientated and most likely delusional children on our hands. How exactly do you suggest we deal with that?"

He had Ciel there. The boy grumbled in frustration.

"Coming up with plans was so much easier when I had more information," he muttered, and without thinking, he added; "And when I had a demon butler who was able to do anything."

"_Anything_, you say?" Sebastian queried, and when Ciel nodded, he hmmed to himself and looked thoughtfully down at him. "Interesting indeed. I have a theory that might explain that little bit of your vision of reality."

"Do tell?" Ciel asked as he looked around to see Finnian swinging Mey-Rin around joyfully, Bardroy laughing at them from the sidelines. "And don't you think they're overdoing it a bit?"

"Just a tad," Sebastian agreed. "But they've always been like that. And the theory I have is that because I was the only one who never resigned from the Hospital once you'd been put under the experimental treatment, I might have appeared in your version of reality as someone who was constantly by your side; someone who appeared invincible because I was always there, watching over you."

Ciel blinked in surprise, and then ducked his head to keep the dusting of a blush on his cheeks hidden from Sebastian.

"W-well, yes. I suppose that is one theory." He stammered, and Sebastian nodded.

"Indeed," he said before snapping his fingers, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Finni and Mey-Rin fell quiet and stopped, and all eyes went straight to Sebastian. "Now then…"

He was cut off just as there was a sudden knocking from the same door that Pluto had come in through. Everybody was suddenly drawing weapons again; Mey-Rin with her handgun and Bard with his rifle, and even Pluto pulled a handgun from the back pocket of his denim trousers, all firearms aimed directly at the door. Finni took Ciel's arm gently and motioned for Ciel to stay quiet before placing himself in front of Ciel, and Sebastian held up his hand for them all to wait on his signal.

There was a small voice choked by tears and breathless from running muffled by the door, but it was so clearly identifiable from where they all stood. It was a child, no more than seven or eight years old.

"S-sebastian? I need help! _Please_, Mister Sebastian, help me! _They have my brother!_"

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

Hooray for cliffhangers. Where would we be without them? I wouldn't have any readers; that's where I'd be. And I'm just gonna leave you all guessing as to who it is at the door. Go on – guess! Tell me WHICH character you think it is; and I'll say it now: they're NOT an OC. Of course I think it's a little bit obvious, but meh. Let's see how much y'all remember.

Review, my mincey mashed potatoes! And I will love you and feel all the better for it. Chapter four will be ready soon.

_- Mercy_


	5. Chapter Four

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

Okay. The lot of you are so wondertasticface that I'm updating as fast as I can. I'm fairly happy with how this story is going to work out, and I've done a bit of calculating – as far as I can count, there will be nearly forty canon characters (from the anime) gracing us with their presence in this story. Currently, we've met six of them in person, and we're about to have couple come in in this chapter.

And just who is knocking at the safe house door? I must say I was a little surprised when most of you thought it was Luca. Then, I realized it wasn't really surprising – after all, Alois is everyone's favourite little psycho child (apart from mine), and if I'm not so attached to his character, then I should be all the more prepared to torture him, right?

Wrong.

In honesty, neither Luca nor Alois crossed my mind when I was writing the ending to chapter three. I'd recently been re-watching one of the episodes just a little past mid-way of season one, and there is this brotherly pair that I came to the realization that I truly and utterly loved. I can't resist these two – they're so great and awesome and now they're here in this story in particular. And I'm fairly sure they're pretty under appreciated as far as their nearly non-existent fanbase goes. So I'll admit it. I'm a shipper of these two.

in other news, *sigh* I have so much time and so much writing to do, but it all seems so rushed, because I've got a mass of art commissions and requests to do as well as Christmas presents for everyone. How are you all?

_- Mercy_

…

_the person who got the closest with guessing who the brotherly pair were was **nightlace** after a long discussion and a tiny spoiler ^_^ you rock!_

* * *

**Chapter Four:** The Streets Ablaze With Running.

-:-

"S-sebastian? I need help! _Please_, Mister Sebastian, help me! _They have my brother!_"

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise at the sound of the boys sobbing voice, and Sebastian paused only for a moment before striding across to the door and flipping up a tiny brass peep-hole flap, which he spoke through quietly.

"Password?" he asked, and there was a moment of hesitation.

"U-um…B-bitter bunny…?" came the quavering reply, and, satisfied and nodding to himself, Sebastian closed the flap and opened the door. Standing there, breathing hard with sweat running down his large childish forehead, was a blonde child with big blue eyes. Ciel recognized him immediately with some alarm. The last time he'd seen him, this boy had been waving goodbye to him and his butler.

"Richard," Sebastian said softly, kneeling down to the boy's teary-eyed level. Upon seeing Sebastian, the wisp of a child burst into tears and flung his arms around Sebastian's neck. Sebastian winced but withheld his grunt of pain as Richard accidentally touched his wounded shoulder without realizing.

"M-Mister Sebastian! They've got Edward!" the big blue eyed boy sobbed uncontrollably, and Sebastian cleared his throat and gave the child a comforting if rather awkward pat on the back.

"Hush now – who has your brother?" he asked, as everyone else relaxed a little. Sebastian brought the boy into the safe house and reached out with one leg to gently kick the door closed before standing up. Richard sniffled and wiped at his nose with a grubby sleeve as he held tightly onto Sebastian's trousers.

"The police! T-they caught us up near the high street – Edward helped me get away and let himself get taken in," the child sobbed, and Mey-Rin came forward to wrap the boy into a comforting hug, gently detaching him from Sebastian's leg and scooping him up into her arms.

"Shh, shh – it's okay," she murmured, and Ciel was reminded of a mother hushing a child after a nightmare. "Now, where did the police take Edward?"

Richard whimpered into her shirt something incomprehensible, but Mey-Rin merely kept soothing him, bringing him over to one of the sofas and sitting down, cradling him in her lap.

"Say again, sweetie?"

"Down t-to that sta-_hup_!-station," Richard hiccuped, his tears subsiding a little bit, and could clearly see in this young boy the same person he'd known in his own version of reality, as Sebastian called it. This was the scared, crying child who thought he'd never see his beloved brother, Edward the Fifth, ever again on the tragic night they had been murdered in the Tower of London. It was hardly any different, Ciel realized. Richard was terrified because Edward had sacrificed himself so that he might get away; and now the little boy had no idea if he'd see his older brother again.

"He's in lock-up?" Bardroy asked softly, coming to stand over Mey-Rin's shoulder. Richard nodded, his lower lip trembling as he tried to control his tears.

"And they said…they said something a-about handing him over to t-the Dispatch," he wept, and everyone's eyes widened.

"Why would they do that?" Ciel asked Finni quietly, and Finni sighed.

"It's like we told you – anything the Dispatch can find, they'll snatch up and use however they can," he said, keeping his voice hushed so that Richard couldn't hear them as he comforted by Mey-Rin and Bardroy. "See, Richard and his big brother Edward are orphans who hate being confined to small spaces, so they prefer to live on their own, on the streets."

"But…but I know them…" Ciel murmured, and Finnian nodded.

"Yeah – you met them once when Richard was admitted to the Hospital once; he was in your ward but he was only there for a very brief time, and he was released before any of the disappearances started. His brother Edward and their caretaker at the time visited just about every day – they can hardly bear to be apart." He replied softly. "So when Mey-Rin, Bard and me left the Hospital after the experiments started, we were wandering aimlessly, and they found us. They helped us, in finding safe houses and getting us set up and such. We help them stay safe and in return they listen out for any information that might be useful to us, giving us warnings and stuff if we're in any danger of being uncovered by either the Hospital or the Dispatch."

"So you help them stay free?" Ciel asked, earning himself another nod from Finni.

"S'right. They know they can count on us." He answered, just as Sebastian clicked his fingers.

"You two, do stop whispering over there," he said sternly. "You remind me of a couple of nurses swapping rumours."

Ciel felt his cheeks colour and Finni laughed in embarrassment as all eyes turned to them. Richard caught sight of Ciel, and his eyes widened.

"C-ciel?!" he murmured, clambering down from Mey-Rin's lap and stumbling over to Ciel. "You're finally free, huh?"

"Uh…yes, I-I suppose so," Ciel said, not really knowing what else to say. He'd had to show respect to this little boy and his older brother before, even if they had been ghosts, but now, the child was gazing up at him in admiration and wonder. Then, the moment passed and Richard suddenly grabbed Ciel's hand.

"Please! You've gotta convince Sebastian that my brother needs help! He doesn't want to go out but he _promised_ us and you can't break a promise, right? _Not ever_!" Richard begged, and Ciel started before looking up at Sebastian, who merely looked back.

"Well? Aren't you obligated to help them? Isn't that your deal?" Ciel asked Sebastian, feeling almost as he used to, but he wasn't quite yet ordering the black haired man around. Sebastian shrugged his good shoulder.

"You are my top priority right now," he replied before looking down at Richard. "It's no good crying, Richard – I can't help you because Ciel is still in such a delicate state right now. However, Mey-Rin and Bardroy will help."

"Course we will!" Bardroy hollered. "You can count on us!"

Richard turned his large, impossibly adorable eyes to both of them, before sighed and hunching his shoulders, his gaze falling down to his shoes.

"I-it's not that I don't appreciate it," he said. "But it has to be you Sebastian. I-I don't want to trust anyone else."

"I'm sorry, Richard," Sebastian said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "But I can't leave Ci-"

"Go." Ciel cut him off sternly, and the two of them both looked at him in surprise. Ciel lifted his eyes to Sebastian. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." He gave Richards hand a small squeeze, and the blonde boy's eyes lit up with hope. "It's not fair to deny Richard your help when you're the one he came running to."

Sebastian looked as if a fish had just stood up and growled at him, his eyes wide with shock. Then, his eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second before softening, and he knelt down to Richard.

"All right then." He said with a sigh, a small, somewhat forced smile appearing. "I think we should go, then."

Richards face lit up and he took the hand that Sebastian offered him, letting go of Ciel's with a grateful smile to Ciel. Then, Sebastian led Richard back across the room, pausing only as they reached the door frame.

"Mey-Rin, Bardroy – you're with us." He said. "Finnian and Pluto – stay here and look after Ciel. No lactose of glucose until he's been awake for at least twelve hours, and no contact with direct sunlight. And try not to blow anything up."

"Hey – I should be going!" Pluto objected. "Bard's more likely to blow stuff up and draw attention to you guys and you're _still_ taking him?!"

As Mey-Rin and Bardroy gathered at Sebastian's side, a pair of handguns slung through a holster and over Mey-Rin's shoulder, another handgun tucked into the waistband of Bardroy's pants, Sebastian turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"This is no time to be arguing. Just stay here." He said, but Pluto wasn't satisfied.

"No! Not fair, Sebastian! You know I'm far better in a sticky situation – you can't leave me at home on babysitting duty!" he snapped, just as Sebastian shot him a death glare.

"_Sit_."

Sebastian's deep voice resonated through the whole room, and Richard took a small step away, but didn't let go of the black haired man's hand. Ciel felt as if a tremour had passed through his body, but Pluto was the one who was really affected – he immediately plopped down onto the sofa like an obedient dog, his eyes widened in surprise. Then, without another word, Sebastian whirled on his heel and strode out, Richard trotting quickly at his side, flanked by Mey-Rin and Bardroy. The door swung shut behind them, and the light from the outside world disappeared, leaving the three of them in the dim, darker lit safe house.

"Bastard," Pluto grumbled under his breath, heaving himself up from the sofa and stretching before casting a glum look Ciel's way. "I'm going upstairs. Don't break anything."

As he headed away, Finni came over, a small smile on his face.

"Sorry about Pluto," he said softly, and Ciel shook his head.

"It's fine – almost the way I remember it," he said, unable to resist a small chuckle, and Finni nodded along.

"That's right – didn't you say something about him bein' a demon hound or something?" he asked.

"Yes. But he'd always been fairly fond of Sebastian, as I recall," Ciel replied, letting out a sigh. "It's going to take a lot of getting used to."

Finnian nodded apologetically. "Yeah – I'm sorry about that. They shouldn't be more than a few hours or so, so they should be back not too long after sundown."

"What time of day is it?" Ciel asked suddenly, realizing that he had no idea what the time was or what day is was, either.

"Oh, it's about mid-afternoon at the moment," Finni replied with a smile, going over to a small window above one of the sofas, drawing the curtains back and pushing the window open a little, allowing Ciel to look out before turning away and going back to the kitchen area. Ciel had to kneel on the sofa to be able to see out. "Just don't look directly at the sun on any reflective surfaces – it's bad for your eyes."

Ciel hardly heard him – he was gazing out in awe at the scene below him. They must have been nearly twenty meters up in the air; the city that sprawled out below him was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Deciduous trees lined the sidewalks that framed the streets below him, with lots of sleek, metallic-coated automobiles weaving and threading into a mass of traffic. People of all shapes and sizes were walking along the sidewalks, and not a single horse and carriage was to be found. Birds swooped in and out of the trees, pigeons waddling across the cement at people's feet as they sat in street side cafés, sipping their beverages either alone or in company. He saw a small group of children, perhaps only a year older than him, running and playing amongst themselves in a nearby park that was shaded with the greenest of oak trees. Some of the children were riding on strange board-like planks with wheels on the bottom of them, others in what like ice-skating boots, except with a set of wheels underfoot where the skate should have been. A bicycle rider cycled around in their midst – they were all laughing and playing.

He caught sight of a dog and its owner, making their way lazily through the park and to the street. He watched as they went to cross the road on a path across the road that covered the black tarmac in white stripes, first pausing as the traffic whizzed on past them. They pressed a button of sorts on a nearby pole, and he followed the ple up its length until he saw a box with a red blinking figure in it. A second later, the figure changed colour to green, and the traffic came to a stop as the man and his dog started to cross the road alongside several other pedestrians.

He hated to admit it, but Ciel couldn't help but gaze, wide-eyed in wonder, at the world beneath him. It was like he was a million years into the future. But, if everything he'd been told was true, he was only a hundred and twenty two years into the future from where he thought he used to be. Eighteen Eighty-Nine. Two thousand and Eleven. That's what Sebastian had said.

With a sigh, Ciel rested his head on his elbows and let himself sink down onto the couch as he gazed out at this shining new world. He could hear the honking of horns, the chatter and yells of the people, the laughter of the kids down in the park. There were people holding small square devices to their ears and talking into them, or others with cords plugged into their ears, the other end of the cord disappearing into their pockets. There was a street dancer down by one of the café's, with the strangest music beating out of a large, oblong box by his feet. Every so often, a passer-by would flip a coin or two into the hat the dancer had laid on the ground. A soft breeze drifted in through the window, bringing with it all of these sights and sounds, and Ciel found himself feeling almost lethargic, as if his whole body was tired and suddenly feeling a lot heavier, just wanting to rest. Sleep, perhaps. The afternoon was warm, almost muggy, but the breeze was cool and gentle as it touched his skin.

About an hour and a half later, Finnian emerged from the kitchen, a pot of something soup-smelling in his oven mitted hands.

"Hungry?" he asked, catching Ciel's attention, and Ciel felt himself blush as his stomach growled rather audibly. He was undeniably hungry, but having watched the sun slowly go down in the reflection of the buildings around him from the window had almost made him forget.

"Uh…yes," he admittedly sheepishly, and Finni smiled.

"Great – I'll just take a bowl up to Pluto – he won't come down stairs to eat, so I'll be back in a tick." Finni set the pot down on a wooden dining table. It wasn't the biggest table Ciel had ever seen, but it looked to be able to seat at least five. Finni took a small stack of bowls off the top of the pot, and ladled a couple of spoonfuls into one before pulling a couple of spoons from a pocket on the oven mitts before disappearing upstairs. Ciel sat still as he listened to Finni pounding on a door and calling Pluto's name, before their muffled voices could be heard conversing quietly. His crossed his legs and waited for Finni to reappear.

Finni immediately went about clearing up the table – it was loaded down with stacks of papers and manila folders, old tea and coffee cups that hadn't been washed, and the occasional blunt pencil or broken pen. Moving the entire load over to a pile of semi-important looking things that were stacked on the floor by the sofa Sebastian had been sleeping on, Finni sighed in satisfaction as he straightened back up, wiping a hand across his forehead.

"Phew – right, now that's done," he said, going back and sweeping any remaining dust from the table before setting out a bowl for Ciel. "I'll try to keep it that way for a bit."

He ladled a couple of spoonfuls into Ciel's before, and Ciel got up and approached the table. "Go on," Finni said encouragingly. "Sit down and eat. Sorry it's gonna be a bit runny – I usually put milk in it, but Sebastian says no milk or sugar for a while yet."

"Why's that?" Ciel asked as he took a seat and accepted the spoon that Finni held out for him. The blonde smiled apologetically.

"Coz apparently the drugs you were being experimented on contained chemicals that had really negative effects when they were combined with either lactose, which is milk, and glucose, which is sugar." He explained. "So Sebastian wants to make sure that your systems completely clear of any of the drugs before he lets you have anything with milk or sugar in it – it's just a precaution so you don't get sick right after you've woken up."

"…Right." Ciel furrowed his brows a little – that only made half as much sense as he'd been hoping. "And he also said something about not letting me go outside yet – why not?"

"Oh, that – that's because you've been kept inside for pretty much the entirety of the last three and a half years," Finni said, sounding both proud of himself for knowing the answer, but also a little sad. "Sebastian doesn't want you to get over exposed to sunlight yet, just in case you get really badly sunburnt or something happens to your skin – you're still really delicate at the moment, but you'll be able to go out soon, probably."

Ciel nodded and dropped his eyes to the bowl of soup in front of him. Tomato soup. He dipped his spoon in and blew on it before taking a sip, letting the hot yet soothing liquid slide over his tongue and down his throat. He swallowed reflexively, an action that he felt he hadn't done in a long time.

"It feels…strange…" he murmured, and Finni nodded with a sigh, sitting down across from him at the table, pouring some soup into a bowl for himself.

"Probably coz you've been drip-fed through a bag and tube on nothing but fluids for ages – the whole while you were bein' experimented on," he said. "You were never awake or conscious to eat anything solid, so they had to feed you through tubes down your throat straight to your stomach."

The thought of having anything forced down his throat made Ciel's stomach turn, and Finni noticed the obvious change in expression. "Oh…sorry."

"It's okay," Ciel managed, focussing on the soup. Despite how disgusted he felt, he couldn't deny his growling stomach and the hunger pangs that were shooting through his body. "Will I have to live on soup for the rest of my life, though?"

"_Huh_?!" Finni went wide-eyed before bursting into a fit of laughter. "Oh, _no_ – no, just until you're used to be conscious again and all that. It'll be best to start you on soft stuff, though – soups and yoghurts and stuff, before moving you onto more solid foods."

"Why's that?"

"I dunno – all part of getting your body used to digesting food and stuff again, I think," Finni said thoughtfully. "It'll be a slow process, but it'll be worth it, I promise. Sebastian is positive you'll make a full recovery. You just gotta be careful for a while, is all."

Ciel sighed and nodded, and the conversation faded. They both continued to eat until they were scraping the remnants of the soup from the bowls, and Ciel felt better, too – having eaten something made him feel not quite so empty, but it did add to the lethargic feeling that felt like it was weighing him down. He found his eyes drooping, the darkness of the fading natural light not helping the feeling.

Finni scraped his chair back and collected their bowls, taking the pot with him as he headed back into the kitchenette – at least, that was what Ciel assumed it was. He emerged a moment later and stretched, yawning.

"Gosh – I'm nearly ready for bed," he said, and Ciel raised his eyes to Finni.

"You're not worried about the others?" he asked, and Finni shook his head.

"Not really – Sebastian knows what he's doing and won't let anyone get hurt – especially Richard and his brother Edward. They should be back soon, anyhow." He replied, just as Pluto emerged from upstairs. He was dressed differently now – his slack grey shirt swapped for a collared white button-down shirt with black stripes and a string tie, tucked into his pants, his unruly silver hair combed back a little, his black pants dusted off.

"Going to work?" Finni asked, and Pluto nodded.

"Yeah," he said without really looking at either of them. He headed to the door. "Be back in a few hours."

"Kay!" Finni smiled and waved goodbye as the door swung shut behind him, and Ciel couldn't resist the question that rose in his mind.

"Pluto works? Where?" he asked, and Finni chuckled lightly.

"Oh, well this safe house is actually situated on top of a pub – Bardroy, Mey-Rin, Pluto and I all chip in down there a couple of hours a week for the guy who owns it so that we can stay here for free whenever we need a place to crash," he said. "Pluto mainly acts as a bumper or waiter, depending on the sort of crowd that comes in – looks like tonight he's on waitering; he'd never wear that string tie of his if he thought he'd be getting into a tussle."

"He likes his string tie?" Ciel asked, making Finni nod.

"Yup – he likes to think of it as a sign of his independence and freedom or something. He had a pretty dark past and a rough time at the Hospital himself; that tie was the first thing he found out here that he liked enough to buy for himself. It reminds him that he's not there anymore, not manipulated anymore." The blonde explained, but before Ciel could ask any more questions, the front door opened again and Bardroy stepped through, followed by Mey-Rin and Sebastian, who had little Richard and a boy about a year or so older than Ciel in tow – Edward. Or, as Ciel had known him, Edward the Fifth.

"We're home!" Bardroy announced unnecessarily, and Mey-Rin gave everyone a smile.

"It went well then?" Finni asked, a big grin on his face, and Sebastian nodded.

"Everything went according to plan," he said with a smile, and Richard gave his older brother a hug. "Although there was really no need for the smoke grenade, Bardroy." He added pointedly, making Bardroy laugh.

"But that's all part of the fun," the older blonde chuckled, and Ciel could smell the remnants of some sort of gunpowder and smoke on his clothes as he past. "You been cookin', Finni?"

"Yup," Finni beamed as everyone gathered around inside, letting the door close behind them. "There's plenty soup left you're all hungry – it might need some warming up though."

Bardroy said something about that being fine by him as he disappeared into the kitchenette, and Sebastian flopped down onto one of the sofas. Ciel stood, and Mey-Rin smiled and gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as she passed him, but before he could say anything, Edward had approached him.

"Ciel Phantomhive – I never thought I'd see the day," the blonde boy said with a smile, extending his hand. "It's such a relief to see you alive and well in person – I almost didn't believe them when they told me that you'd been safely rescued."

"T-they?" Ciel asked, and by force of habit he reached out his hand and shook Edwards, although he did have to resist the urge to bow to this boy; after all, the last time he'd seen Edward, he'd been the ghost of a young king who had been murdered four hundred years before Ciel had met him. Edward nodding, his warm smile reaching his eyes.

"Yes – Sebastian, Mey-Rin and Bardroy. Of course, Richard told me that it was true; and I can't not believe my brother – we always tell each other the truth, no matter what," Edward said, looking down at his younger brother, who was hugging his waist. Richard turned his own smile to Ciel.

"Thank you for convincing Sebastian," he said gratefully, and Ciel was a little taken aback – he'd hardly had to do anything.

"Oh, s-sure. I mean, you're welcome," Ciel replied, a little awkwardly, not too sure about what to say.

"It must have taken a bit of courage to stand up to Sebastian like that," Edward chuckled, casting a glance at the doctor who'd sprawled himself out on the couch, his good arm flung over his eyes, his body relaxed; he seemed just as tired as Ciel had felt a little earlier. "I've never heard of even a child being able to boss him around before."

"You haven't?" Ciel found himself blushing just a touch, thinking that he'd have avoided this awkwardness altogether if this was the world he remembered. If Sebastian was still his contracted butler. But he couldn't quite find the nerve to be boastful about something that seemed so trivial. "O-oh. It was nothing."

Bardroy reappeared, poking his head around the wall.

"Hey – I got the kettle goin'; anyone want a hot drink?" he asked, and he received yeses all round, except for Ciel, who remained quiet. "Ciel?"

Ciel was about to reply when Sebastian butted in from the sofa before him. "Not yet. He can have a tea that's black and sugarless, but I highly doubt that he'd concede to drink such rubbish." Sebastian said, his voice sounding utterly exhausted. Ciel shot him a glare that went unnoticed.

"And since when were you able to speak for me about my preferences on tea?" he snapped, making Edward and Richard laugh softly as Sebastian raised his arm a little to send him a sceptical look.

"Since you used those exact same words the very first time Mey-Rin brought you black and sugarless tea the first morning you'd been admitted as a Hospital patient with pneumonia," he replied in a completely deadpan tone, and even Mey-Rin had to laugh at that.

"It's true," she said, obviously smiling at the memory that Ciel had no recollection of in the slightest. "You spat it out and refused to drink it unless it had at least half a cup of milk and three teaspoons of sugar in it."

Ciel couldn't help but feel like he was being laughed at, but he refused to let his chagrin show. He was saved from having to say anything, though, as Finni and Bardroy came in through the kitchen carrying cups in each hand, handing one to each of them, and Finni pulled out from under his arm a small glass bottle, which he gave to Ciel. Ciel turned it over in his hands.

"What's this?"

"Well," Finnian said. "Since you're not able to have tea yet, you can always have an iced tea. It's not the same, but it's got the same basic ingredients with a flavour of a fruit in it. It's got no sugar in it, and no milk, so I figured you shouldn't have to miss out just coz everyone else got something."

"Oh." Ciel was a little lost with what to say. "T-thank you."

Finnian beamed, and Ciel could see that the older boy was glad he was able to do something for him. "Not a problem."

Bardroy turned back to the group after he'd handed Sebastian a cup of something dark brown with a pungent strong smell.

"Hey – now the suns gone down, why don't we have our drinks up on the roof? Give Ciel some fresh air?" he asked, and everyone nodded in agreement. Sebastian even sat up and got to his feet, agreeing that it would be okay.

"Not a bad idea," Edward commented. "I'm not a huge fan of being locked indoors for long periods of time, anyway."

As Finnian and Mey-Rin lead the way up the stairs and down a narrow hallway that led to the room Ciel had woken in, Ciel found himself in step with Edward.

"Why don't you like being kept indoors?" he asked quietly, and Edward gave him a small look of surprise, nursing his cup of tea in one hand, his other entwined in Richards, who trotted along beside them with his own cup.

"Oh, it's a bit of a long story," the blonde said a little sheepishly. "But if you'd like to know, the short of it is, Richard and I are orphans because our parents used to lock us away in small, dark rooms for everything we did that they didn't like. We hated it and both of us grew quite claustrophobic. So we ran away and we've been living on our own ever since. It's not really a bad life."

"You live on the streets?" Ciel asked as Finni lead the way up another small flight of steps to another door at the end of the hall, opening it to reveal a flat, open expanse of rooftop. Edward nodded.

"Yes – we've learnt how to get by, and it's only really on a bad day that one or both of us get caught. Of course, if both of us get caught we usually cause such a big ruckus that we can get away under all the confusion." He said, as if he was merely talking about a walk he'd taken in a park the other day. Ciel found himself intrigued by the idea.

"How do you get away from the police?" he asked, and Edward shrugged.

"We know this city like the backs of our hands; we've had all the time in the world since we ran away to learn it's best hiding places and escape routes." He said as the three of them came to a stop at the edge of the roof a little way away from the others. The breeze was even cooler now than before, and in the increasingly dimmer light Ciel could see lights beginning to go on inside the buildings and in the streets below them. Edward let go of Richards hand for a moment to elaborately wave his arm across the expanse of the city. "It's almost like a playground, you get to know how it all works and you react accordingly. Have you ever heard of street running, Ciel?"

"No, what is it?"

Edward smiled, his slanted eyes lighting up like the lights below them. "It's a mixture of acrobatics, skill and speed that allow people to get just about anywhere in a city if they have the right frame of mind." He said, letting his hand rest on Richards shoulder as he took a sip from his cup. "I'll show you sometime if you like. It's a nifty little trick that Richard and I have been become quite adept it, and it's infinitely helpful whenever we need to get away from the police. We've learnt how to scale walls, move through busy traffic, and even cross rooftops by jumping."

"That sounds incredible," Ciel remarked, and Edward chuckled.

"We used to think it was hard; we've both had broken bones from it, but the more we practised, the better we got. And now, if I'm by myself I'm able to outrun just about any police chase they can send after me. It was only because I tripped and fell today that I got caught. It was my own fault – I wasn't looking where I was going, I was trying to see how far behind me they were. But Richard did the right thing by coming straight here to Sebastian."

Ciel let himself smile a little at the sight of the happily reunited brothers, and he heard a call from across the roof. The three of them turned to see Mey-Rin waving them over.

"Hey! Come check this out, guys!" she was calling. "Ciel, I bet you can't remember helicopters, right? Come on! We'll show you!"

Edward sighed and shook his head with a smile.

"It's just like her," he said, and Ciel raised his eyebrows.

"What is?"

"I don't know her all that well, since our paths only cross occasionally, but she's always thinking of others. That's the sort of person she is," Edward replied, before taking Richards hand again and starting to head over to the others. "Come on then."

Ciel paused before he followed them, and he heard Richard ask Edward quietly, "Did helicopters exist back then?"

Shaking his head to himself, Ciel followed them over, remembering what Finnian had said earlier.

_It'll be a slow process, but it'll be worth it._

He sure hoped so, he thought to himself as he joined his new family at the other end of the roof. Despite every danger that could fall upon them, the threat of the Hospital being after them, the idea of being caught and used by the Dispatch – despite being caught up in this fray where nothing seemed to make as much sense as he'd hoped, Ciel couldn't help but find himself smiling along with the others, taking in everything they said, everything they pointed to, from the safety of Sebastian's side. He snuck a look up at the black haired man, and he could almost believe that he saw the same old smirk on Sebastian's face, the one he'd save for a moment where everything had seemed to be right in the world.

If only it would last.

**-:-**

Later that night, after Edward and Richard had taken off into the darkness, bidding them all farewell and reassuring them that they'd be all right on their own, after Finnian had shown Ciel where the small bathroom was and where everyone would be sleeping, Ciel had gone back to his room, closing the door and flicking off the light switch before climbing into the small bed that felt nothing the four-poster wonder he had felt he'd been used to. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, though, the blankets were warm and comforting around his exhausted body, and he wasn't about to complain. Mey-Rin, Bardroy and Sebastian had gone back downstairs for a while, but Finnian had bid them all goodnight and had also retired to the room that he shared with Pluto and Bardroy. Mey-Rin got the third bedroom to herself, being a girl and all. Ciel hardly needed an explanation for that. But Sebastian had been left bedroomless – something that he hadn't actually complained about in the slightest; not that Ciel had ever heard Sebastian complain. But the doctor had said he'd be more comfortable downstairs on one of the sofas – or, as he'd called it, "being more comfortable crashing on the couch". Ciel hadn't quite caught the tail end of the explanation, but it had something to do with being constantly monitoring him for the past few years and catching sleep on a sofa whenever he could that he'd gotten used to it and didn't mind not having a bed.

He turned the events of the day over in his mind; so much had happened already in this new life, and he had a feeling that there was still a lot more to discover. To be told. There must be more to his past. He made a promise to himself as he let his eyes close that he'd find out more about his past as soon as he'd gotten some sleep, but he found himself restless and unable to find sleep for a while, despite being as tired as he was.

Then, there was a soft knock at his door.

"Y-yes?" he sat up and blinked in the light as the door opened and Sebastian looked in.

"Ah. I wasn't sure if you were already asleep or not," the doctor said. "Please excuse the intrusion."

He went to step back out, but Ciel found himself calling out to him. "Hey, wait – Sebastian."

"Yes?" The door opened a little again and Sebastian looked back in. "Actually, I can't sleep. I'm not sure why."

Sebastian sighed a little, but Ciel could tell that he was smirking, even though the black haired mans face was cast in shadow from the light in the hallway. "Well, would you like me to read to you, in that case? Just until you fall asleep."

"Read to me?" Ciel wrinkled his nose a little. "What am I, five years old?"

Sebastian chuckled softly. "You might as well be. I used to read to you when you were a pneumonia patient, whenever you couldn't sleep. You used to enjoy it. And so I made a point to read to you even when you were submerged in the drug treatment, because you'd told me once that it had given you sweet dreams. I only offer because it may help you to readjust."

Ciel blushed crimson, glad for the darkness in his room that hid his face from Sebastian's smirking eyes. "F-fine. You can read if you like."

"As you wish." Sebastian stepped into the room and let the door swing shut. He stepped up to Ciel's bedside without hesitation, as if he knew every inch of this room without needing light, and he switched on a small bedside lamp. Electricity was apparently one of the wonders of the modern age, Ciel had found. Sebastian sat himself down on the floorboards next to Ciel's bed and reached underneath the bed frame with his good hand, digging out a small stack of books.

"What – is that your secret stash?" Ciel smirked, and Sebastian actually chuckled.

"Yes, in fact, it is. I've been reading to you for the past four days as you've slept," he said, and Ciel felt a little taken aback. In that time, he couldn't remember dreaming at all. The last thing he remembered was fragments, bits and pieces from the night of the rescue.

"O-oh." He tried to not blush again as Sebastian cleared his throat, flipping the book open in his lap.

"Right then. Shall I begin?"

"If you want," Ciel let himself sink back down beneath the blankets, and Sebastian began to read aloud. The words drifted through Ciel, and slowly, from the warm resonating glow of the lamp, the tale that Sebastian's smooth, velvety voice wove around his tired mind, and from all of the happenings of the day draining away into pure exhausted, Ciel found sleep. He wasn't sure when Sebastian stopped, or even if he stopped, but he slept on without disturbance, and he didn't dream at all.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

EXTRA LONG HURVY BLURVY CHAPTER. Seriously. I've kept every chapter so far at about nine pages long. This one ended up being thirteen. SO MUCH TO SAY. (Meaning: so much more to write =_=) Anyhoozer – thanks to everyone who did their best to guess the mystery brothers at the end of last chapter! Surprise, surprise! Sadly, I think the world of Edward and Richard. They're far too awesome. They WILL appear in later chapters, and rest assured, fangirls, Alois and Luca will ALSO be appearing somewhere in the story too.

Me: add ALL LE CHARACTERS. Drink ALL LE TEA. Snort ALL LE CRACK.

And you lot! REVIEW… Pwease? :3

_- Mercy_


	6. Chapter Five

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

So I didn't really expect it to only take me a day to write this new chapter but all your reviews that I got this morning were all so great and lovely that I couldn't help myself. I know it's a bit of a slow chapter and a bit of a filler, but hey, ACTION is coming soon! Ciel's about to have the time of his life, even if he IS on the run from terribly evil forces, but THAT'S not going to stop him! (if it did, what sort of writer would I be?).

Anyway. I'm going to stop rambling and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year – I'll see you all after the end of the world tomorrow! :D

_- Mercy_

…

_I'm currently addicted to one of the end themes from the Soul Eater anime. My mp3 player's running out of battery…oh noes! XD_

* * *

**Chapter Five:** It's All Past To The Future Now

-:-

There was no window in his small room, so when Ciel awoke the next day, he had no idea of what the time was. There was only the small skylight, which filtered in sunlight, but still gave him no indication of the time. All he knew was that it was warm, like yesterday, and that obviously meant that the sun was up and already high. He felt himself drift from sleep, and gazed up at the ceiling with bleary eyes, listening to his own rhythmic breathing and the sound of his heartbeat inside his chest. How would he normally start the day? Sebastian would come in, announce that it was time to wake, draw back the curtains and begin to prepare the tea for the morning on a trolley at Ciel's bedside.

Almost on reflex, Ciel reached over the side of the bed, his fingers finding nothing but thin air as he reached for his black eye patch, but when he grasped nothing, he was brought back to reality. There was no eye patch – there was no need for it.

Sitting up into a crumpled yet somewhat upright shape, he rubbed his eyes and yawned before stretching, feeling the tired muscles in his body becoming taut and pulling gently. It was a strange feeling; moving had taken a bit of work to get the hang of, and he was still getting used to the idea of having been unconscious and relatively oblivious to the whole world for the past few years.

He was roused from his musings when he heard the soft padding of footsteps on the floorboards outside his room – but whoever it was passed, and there was the sound of a door further down the hall closing. He looked down over the side of the bed, half-expecting to see Sebastian still sitting there with a book in his lap, but the doctor had gone. There was, however, still a book laying open on the floor. Reaching down, Ciel scooped it up, and let his eyes flick over the pages. Tales of the Brothers Grimm, he realized, and he let the book close and fall to the covers of his bed before swinging his legs over the side of the bed, letting his feet reach down to the floor. He stood carefully, making sure that he wasn't about to topple over, and when he was certain that he would remain upright, he crossed the room to where a small mirror hung on the wall. He brushed himself down and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to flatten it back down. Strands of it refused to be settled, and with a sigh he finally gave up, deciding that it would have to do. Seeing no other changes of clothes in the room, he shrugged to himself and headed out. There was no point in dressing like an Earl if he didn't have the clothes or the title for it.

Downstairs, he could hear the sounds of Bardroy talking loudly over the sound of something frying, and wafts of bacon and eggs came drifting to his nose. Stepping into the downstairs living area, Ciel saw Sebastian once again sprawled out on the couch face down, a blanket thrown over him and his legs hanging over the arm of the settee. Mey-Rin was seated at the wooden table with a cup of tea and Finni was sitting cross-legged on the other sofa, a bowl of something in his hands. Curses suddenly came from the kitchen area and suddenly the entire room became clouded in smoke.

"Holy _crap_!" Mey-Rin cried, immediately scraping her chair back and racing over to the kitchen doorway. "Bardroy! _Bardroy!_ Are you okay in there?"

Bardroy came stumbling out, covered in soot and stinking of smoke. Ciel watched, unnoticed yet, in amazement – it looked just like he'd always remembered it. Bardroy was coughing and spluttering as Mey-Rin headed into the cloud of smoke that had erupted from within the kitchen, and there was the sound of running water, Mey-Rin coughing, and then, a violent hiss and splash as water was tossed over the source of the fire. She came out moments after, and Sebastian grumbled something and began to stir.

"Phew!" Bardroy panted, an embarrassed grin on his face. "Hey – no one use the stove for a while, kay?"

"It's currently drowning," Mey-Rin added, dusting herself down. "Looks like we're going to need a new cooking top altogether."

"Oh my," Finni said, hopping up from the couch. He caught sight of Ciel standing in the doorway. "Oh – morning Ciel! Sleep well?" he asked as he passed.

"Uh – y-yes, I did. Is everything all right?" he replied, and Finni smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah; doesn't sound like there were too many injuries." The blonde said, just as Bardroy cracked up laughing, hiccuping smoke.

"Only the gas lighter!" he crowed between coughs. "Note to self; don't smoke in the kitchen and let your smoke fall in the gas stove."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, they all found themselves laughing – even Ciel. He knew that mishaps like this had happened as an everyday occurrence in the mansion he'd known. But Sebastian had always stepped in and cleaned everything up before Ciel had ever had time to see it for himself – now he saw the outcome firsthand, with the knowledge that everyone had gotten out with being hurt, it struck him as oddly humorous.

"Looks like we'll be moving safe house again in that case," came Sebastian's tired voice as he strode passed them, and they all stopped laughing to watch – no one had noticed him get up from the sofa. He waved away the smoke from his face with his good hand and took a look into the kitchen area. "It also looks like you charcoaled breakfast, Bardroy."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Bardroy said, although Ciel didn't think that he sounded very sorry. "Hey, I'll go into town and buy something, huh?"

"We still have cereal," Finni said, pointing to a box of something sitting on the table where Mey-Rin had been sitting.

"And the fridge doesn't look like it got affected," Mey-Rin added. "So we've still got milk. And the fruit in the veggie keeper."

" 'Fridge'?" Ciel repeated in confusion, and Finni nodded.

"Yeah; it's like a big box that runs on electricity that keeps any food that might spoil easily cold and fresh for longer," he explained. "Means that more stuff that would ordinarily go off in a pantry can be stored and kept for longer amounts of time. Like milk for example."

There was a sudden, ear-popping bang, making everyone jump, and Sebastian disappeared into the still billowing cloud of smoke, and there was the sound of a window being pried open. Moments later, he reappeared, a large plastic carton in his hand. There was only one thing wrong with it; the top half had exploded, and droplets of white milk with tiny flakes of ash in them were dripping down his hand and to the floor.

"You were saying?" he said sceptically. "Someone left the milk out, on the bench right next to the gas stove. Would anyone like to explain to Ciel what happens with an idiot leaves a plastic carton of milk next to a flaming hot surface with the lid screwed on tightly?"

He was glaring at Bardroy, who was gaping at the abomination in Sebastian's hands. Finni and Mey-Rin were also gaping, but they both quickly dissolved into a fit of giggles. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"It's basic chemistry," Ciel said out of the blue, surprising everyone. "If you leave something in an enclosed container right next to an open flame or very hot source of heat for a while, the thing inside the container will heat and boil, sucking up all the oxygen, and the container won't be able to stand the pressure. Hence, the bang we heard before Sebastian went in there."

He looked around at their stunned faces.

"What?"

"That's…that's correct, Ciel," Sebastian said, his eyes wide. "How did you know that?"

Ciel felt his cheeks colour a little. "W-well, it's just…I don't know. It seemed rather obvious to me."

"That's amazing," Finni breathed. "I wouldn't have expected you to remember something like that. That's so cool!"

"Yeah – what d'ya know," Bardroy grinned, patting Ciel on the shoulder. "You always were a smarty."

"What happened?" Pluto had appeared from upstairs, a towel slung around his neck, and he was still rubbing his hair dry with one end, obviously having just showered. "I heard a bang – anyone die?"

"Only the stove and the milk," Sebastian said with a smirk. "Taking with them most of the rest of the kitchen as collateral damage. Until the smoke clears we won't be able to see the extend of the damage, but I think it's safe enough to say that everything's pretty much wreck in there."

Pluto blinked in surprise, before chuckling.

"Psh – you idiots. Blowin' stuff up." He muttered, and Finni, Mey-Rin and Bardroy joined in the laughter, leaving Sebastian and Ciel standing watching them in silence.

"I'm sorry to have such a sudden surprise to wake you," Sebastian said apologetically, now seeming fully awake himself, the same old smile that Ciel had always known gracing his lips. "How did you sleep?"

"Uh – okay." Ciel replied, before glancing past Sebastian into the kitchen. "You said something about moving safe houses?"

"Yes, it looks like we'll be needing a change of scenery," Sebastian nodded with a sigh. "Not only will the smoke not be good for you, but even a contained explosion like that might have roused some suspicion from the neighbours. I don't want to risk any unwanted visitors finding out about you just yet, so we'll have to leave in disguise."

"Where will we go?" Ciel asked, and Sebastian shrugged as he tossed the dripping mass of melted plastic carelessly over his shoulder into the smoke of the kitchen.

"Not sure yet. We'll pick up something to eat along the way – you're undoubtedly going to be hungry again. How are you feeling?" he replied, and Ciel picked up a hint of concern in the doctors voice.

"F-fine, I guess. I mean, no stranger than yesterday."

"That's a start, I suppose," Sebastian nodded, before stepping past him to the stairs, leaving everyone else to their own devices. Ciel looked over to see Bardroy chasing the newly-washed Pluto around the sofas with sooty hands, the silver haired young man growling and snarling between his laughs, and Mey-Rin was letting Finni help to brush her down by the front door. Once there was a suitable pile of ash and soot at her feet, she reached for a broom leaning on the wall and swept it out before letting the front door close. Sebastian called to him from the stairs, catching Ciel's attention again. "Ciel. Come with me upstairs for a moment."

Ciel followed him up the small flight up steps into the hallway that had each of their rooms branching off it. Sebastian led him to the small bathroom, and let the door close behind them.

"Take a seat," he said, pushing a pair of glasses onto his nose. "I'd just like to take a quick look at you."

Ciel tried to swallow his blush as he closed the lid of the toilet seat and sat down. He watched as Sebastian washed his hand in the sink, before expertly drying it one-handedly. Then, the doctor opened a small toiletry bag and pulled out a couple of silver appliances - a small torch that Finni had shown him the night before, a small mirror on a silver pole that was about the same width and length of a pencil. Then, Sebastian hooked a stethoscope over his neck and turned to face Ciel, kneeling down in front of him.

"I'm sorry that I can only do this one handed, so if you'll oblige," Sebastian apologised, holding out the small torch to him, and Ciel took it. "Now, say 'ah'."

Ciel tilted his head back and allowed Sebastian a look down his throat, letting his eyes fall closed as he felt the doctors warm breath gently on his cheek, the light overhead catching and reflecting off of Sebastian's glasses. Sebastian probed his mouth a little with the mirror tool, before taking the torch and shining it down his throat, using the mirror to have a look down Ciel's gullet. Ciel tried to hold back his gag reflex, momentarily wondering if Sebastian could see all the way down to his stomach. The thought made him smile a little.

"Something the matter?"

"Hnn? Nn-nn," Ciel replied, unable to speak properly, causing Sebastian to smirk before withdrawing his tools and letting Ciel close his mouth. His jaw was a little sore from having to stretch open and his neck popped quietly as he rolled his head forwards again.

"Well that's good," Sebastian said with a sigh of satisfactory. "Your teeth look fine and your throat's no longer as swollen as it used to be from having tubes stuffed down it; trying swallowing – how does it feel?"

Ciel swallowed, and his throat did hurt, feeling like it was pinching, but it wasn't as bad as when he'd first tried when he'd woken up.

"Still a bit sore," he replied, and Sebastian nodded.

"That's not a bad sign – having you drink the lemonade and have some of the soup yesterday was a good move on Mey-Rin and Finni's part." He said, before handing the torch and mirror tool to Ciel. He fumbled a moment in trying to put the stethoscope into his ears with one hand, and Ciel found himself reaching out to help without quite registering what he was doing. "Thank you. Now. I'd like to listen to your heart and your lungs. Could you lift up your shirt?"

Obediently, Ciel lifted up his shirt for Sebastian, and the doctor first pressed the end of the stethoscope to his own neck for a moment.

"What're you doing?"

"Warming it a little," Sebastian smiled. "I don't think you'd appreciate a cold stethoscope to the chest."

"…Right."

A moment later, Sebastian reached forward and pressed the end of the stethoscope to Ciel's chest, and Ciel could feel the warmth from Sebastian's own skin still resonating from the end. Sebastian closed his eyes, listening, and Ciel could see him counting softly beneath his breath. One minute, two…three minutes ticked past in silence before Sebastian opened his eyes and drew the end of the stethoscope down a little way across Ciel's chest to rest just about his stomach.

"Please take a deep breath," Sebastian said quietly, and Ciel inhaled as deeply as he possibly could through his nose. Something tickled the back of his throat, and he broke off into a spluttering cough, quickly clasping a hand over his mouth. Sebastian's brows furrowed a little.

"What's wrong?" Ciel asked, but Sebastian just shook his head.

"Again."

Ciel frowned, momentarily wondering if this was Sebastian's way of being sadistic, but he took another deep breath to fill his lungs once the tickle had subsided. This time, he heard a small wheezing sound come from his lungs, but he managed to hold the breath in, and after a moment, Sebastian asked him to exhale, and he let all the breath leave him in a big sigh. Sebastian lowered the stethoscope.

"Can I ask you to spin around, please?" the doctor asked, and Ciel twisted around and drew his legs up so he was sitting cross-legged on the toilet seat now, and Sebastian pressed the stethoscope onto his back, just between his shoulder blades. "And take another deep breath."

Once again, Ciel inhaled to inflate his lungs, once again feeling the wheeze tickle his chest, and he found himself struggling to hold in the breath this time. After what seemed like forever and he thought he'd go blue in the face, Sebastian finally told him to relax. Ciel found himself coughing again, but Sebastian gave him a gentle pat on the back to help, and when he'd managed to stop, he twisted himself around to face the kneeling doctor.

"Well?" he asked, seeing Sebastian's eyes looking troubled.

"Well," Sebastian repeated. "I can hear some crackling in your lungs, which isn't good, but it's probably also just an after effect of your lungs getting used to no longer being dependent on the oxygen mask anymore."

"Oxygen mask?"

"Mmm – a piece of equipment that helped you to breathe whilst you were under the effects of the drug treatment. See, you were submerged in what's known as a sensory deprivation chamber – more commonly called an isolation tank." Sebastian said.

"And what does one of those things do?" Ciel asked as Sebastian got to his feet, taking back the mirror and torch, rinsing the mirror tool under the faucet before drying it off and stowing it back into the small bag he'd taken it from.

"It does just that – it isolates your senses so that every single part of you; every nerve, every synapse firing off in your brain, is amplified, so that we can monitor you from outside the tank. The drug treatment was done while you were inside, but it also required you to be hooked up to all number of apparatus that would stabilize your breathing and drip-feed you supplemental nutrition and protein so you wouldn't wither and die inside it or drown yourself in the tank if you ended up thrashing around." Sebastian explained, and Ciel heard ashamed bitterness coating his words. "I was the one assigned to monitor you at all times; I was the one who administered all the drugs they gave me to you. I was the one who put you through everything you think you knew."

Ciel let his eyes widen as Sebastian sighed and turned back to face him, but his head was bowed, his good hand stuffed into his pocket as he leant on the edge of the bench. There wasn't much space between them – only about a meter in total, if that. Ciel was both horrified and fascinated by the idea that a person could be cut off from reality and made to believe something else, but it sickened him as he reminded himself that he was the one who'd been put through it in the first place.

"What happens…if the person is taken out?" he asked softly, but he was afraid that he already knew the answer. Sebastian didn't answer for a moment, but lifted his head to look Ciel straight in the eye.

"If the person is unconscious, the worst their body will suffer is spasms as it readjusts from the state of deprivation within the tank to the sudden change of environment to the world outside. They'd be completely unaware of it, but when they wake up after they'd probably have a killer headache," Sebastian said slowly. "But. If they're conscious…the pain is a lot worse."

"Like…like you're on fire?" Ciel whispered, trying to recall the feeling he'd felt on the night of the rescue. "As if there's a thousand pin, needles and nails being wedged beneath your skin as you're suddenly dragged into the cold air from arctic waters?"

Sebastian held his gaze steadily, but he nodded.

"That's what I'm told. I've never experienced it for myself." He said quietly. "Most people go into shock after such a traumatic experience – you must have been conscious, because you were quite clearly in shock for the next few days."

Ciel blinked in surprise. "How clear was it?"

Sebastian sighed and shrugged. "Thrashing and crying out in your sleep. Sometimes you'd seem to wake and you'd blurt the strangest things. Calling for a butler, calling my name – other times it was just nonsense babbling before you'd collapse again, exhausted. I had to let the effects of the drugs wear off by themselves before I could give you any sort of relaxant, because I didn't know what would happen if I combined the two. It could have been dangerous for you."

Ciel lowered his eyes to his lap, and he knew that Sebastian had let his own gaze drop to the tiled floor. After a moment, he raised his eyes again, and stood.

"Well," he began, a little unsteadily. "There's really no use in dwelling in the past. All we can do is move forward, right?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him, before the smallest hint of a smirk touched the doctors lips. "You're right. I would have thought you'd have needed more convincing, really. You seemed pretty attached to that world your imagination cooked up."

Ciel shook his head.

"No," he said firmly. "Whatever happened, in the last few days, I felt it was time to go. To leave, somewhere."

"That's good," Sebastian nodded. "It means the drugs that I'd personally altered to be more dilute were having the correct effect; by lessening the doses and changing the formula ever so slightly, it was drawing you out of your unconscious state without raising awareness of anyone. Anyone but you."

"And that's when you took me out of the tank."

"Correct."

They stood in silence for a moment, boy and doctor, watching each other. Ciel felt a slight ease in the tension that had been radiating off of Sebastian, and the older man visibly relaxed a little, his good shoulder slumping ever so slightly.

"I have a theory." Sebastian said after a moment, and Ciel raised his eyebrows at him. "A test."

"Go on?"

"We'll for another safe house soon, but when we get there, I'd like you to do something. Write out a list of every single person that you can remember, every single name of every single person you came in contact with over the course of your drug treatment, in your hallucinations. Then bring it to me. I'd like to see just how many connections I can draw from your version to reality." He said, and Ciel frowned.

"How will that help?" he asked as Sebastian straightened up and turned towards the bathroom door. The doctor paused before opening it and shrugged.

"Maybe it won't," he replied. "But maybe it'll help us draw some parallels between your world to the real one. It may help you to understand reality better."

With that, he left, heading back down the hallway.

"After all, it's just a theory," he said over his shoulder, leaving Ciel standing barefoot on the cool tiles of the bathroom, thinking it over. It could hurt, he supposed. He stood there a moment longer, listening to Sebastian's footsteps on the stairs before the doctors deep voice called for order amongst the others below. If there was one thing for certain, Sebastian was the leader of this small troupe – everyone looked up to him with some sort of respect; even Pluto, who appeared to be far more flippant to Sebastian than Ciel had remembered him being. But it seemed that whatever Sebastian says, goes, and moments later Ciel heard more footsteps, this time coming up the stairs. Mey-Rin's voice called out to him, something about finding him a change of clothes so that they could head out soon.

Not really hearing her, Ciel followed her voice into her room, which had a chest full of clothes tucked away in one corner. None of the rooms had much in them; and Ciel realized that this must just be the way they all lived – going from one place to the next, moving whenever they needed to. None of them probably had very many personal possessions, just the bare essentials.

He wondered if it made a life like this any easier.

**-:-**

About half an hour later, Ciel was standing in front of a full length mirror in Mey-Rin's room, dressed in some of the smallest articles of clothing that she could find, and they still sat baggily on him. Over the top of a singlet, Ciel wore a light cotton hoodie and a cap that advertised some sort of convention on it on his head to help cover his hair. His legs were clothed in a pair of baggy, patchwork jeans with a hole in one of the knees, and he was still barefoot.

Looking himself up and down in the reflection, he would have been disgusted at the outfit on any other day. Any other day he would have refused to dress in anything that wasn't top of the line, quality-stitched work, with a white shirt and bow tie, long socks and shined leather shoes with a brass buckle on them, a flawless jacket with shorts to match to finish the attire. But today was different – no one dressed like that anymore, he had to remind himself as Mey-Rin came up behind him, holding up a pair of soft leather calf-length lace up boots that looked a size too big for him.

"I think this is the best we're going to find," she said apologetically, holding up a pair of dark socks in her other hand. "But it's better than nothing for now, I suppose, right?"

Ciel looked a little sceptically at the boots – they looked big and clunky and heavy, but he didn't really see any other option. He didn't want to be going out in bare feet. Sebastian had insisted that Mey-Rin clothe him in something that would cover most of his skin to keep him out of direct sunlight. The attire was very casual, something Mey-Rin had reassured him wouldn't attract attention, which was what they were aiming for. Sighing, Ciel turned to her and held out his hands for the boots and socks.

"It'll be fine," he said, sitting himself down on the bed so that he could pull on the socks before slipping his feet into the boots. Surprisingly enough, he found his hands able to thread the laces through the eyelets of the boots with a surprising amount of confidence – and tying the laces into albeit slightly awkward bows wasn't as much of a challenge as he'd though it would be. He remembered a time where he could hardly dress himself, he'd been so dependent on Sebastian. He had nearly been defeated by a simple shoelace once; and on a shoe that was far simpler in design that this big boot that came halfway up his calf.

Mey-Rin watched him with a small smile, and when he looked up, he caught sight of it.

"What is it?"

Mey-Rin just shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said. "I mean, you've got no memory of any life other than the one from the experiments, yet you're adapting so quickly. I guess it's like riding a bike – once you learn, you never really forget."

Ciel raised an eyebrow at her. "Tying a shoelace is like riding a bike?"

Mey-Rin giggled.

"No, it's just a figure of speech. Your brain learns how to do something through repetitive practice – so after a while, even if you don't do that thing for a long time, if you suddenly try to do it again you'll remember. You might be a little shaky at it at first, but you'll get the hang of it," she smiled, and Ciel stood up and brushed himself down.

"Right," he said before looking up to meet her eyes. "I think I'm ready, then."

They headed downstairs to where everyone else was waiting – they'd all changed their clothes. Bardroy now sported a loud orange singlet with the numbers 86 printed in black on the back of it and a pair of cut-off shorts made of a material Mey-Rin had told Ciel was called 'denim', and a pair of runners. A casual kind of shoe, apparently. Finnian wore a collared shirt with the top buttons undone and no tie, the bottom of the shirt left loose and untucked over the top of a pair of baggy green pants with a camouflage pattern on them, his bare feet now covered by a pair of shoes that Pluto had called skate shoes. Pluto himself wore a dark grey low v-neck shirt with long sleeves that had wide, stretched wrists and a pair of black jeans with a chain and spiked black belt through them, a spike collar clipped around his neck like a dog. He wore beaten up old boots similar to that like Ciel's.

Mey-Rin had also gotten changed, while Ciel was trying on some previous outfits that hadn't quite managed to fit the bill; her new attire was a pair of slip-on shoes with a light blue blouse and a skirt that came about halfway down her thigh. When he'd first seen it, Ciel had tried to hide his blush, thinking how indecent it was for a girl to be showing so much skin, but he'd had to remind himself sternly that was just how girls dressed these days. There was nothing he could do about it.

However, Sebastian appeared to be one who'd changed the most. The bandage on his arm was hidden by a wide necked, loose-fitting long sleeved shirt with what looked like a very casual waistcoat over the top, the buttons undone and hanging loose on his slender frame. He still wore his glasses, but someone, most likely Finni, had pulled back Sebastian's long bangs of black hair into a small ponytail, with only a few strands falling back into place around his face. He wore the same black boots Ciel had seen him in yesterday, with the same black pants.

"Everyone's gear's down in the car already?" He said, catching Ciel's attention away from his attire. The gathered group nodded, and he sighed. "Right then. We'll let Luigi downstairs know about the mess in the kitchen, and Pluto, you'll hand him back the keys."

"Kay," Pluto was swinging a set of silver keys around on a keyring on one finger, only adding to the amount of metal and silver already adorning his body. Ciel noticed there were several silver hoops through Pluto's ear, and a small silver stud through his bottom lip, too. Perhaps, he thought, thinking back to what Finnian had told him about Pluto yesterday, it was just another one of those things Pluto did for himself to prove his freedom and independence to the world. Ciel had to blink himself out of his daze as he tried to concentrate on what Sebastian was saying.

"…and I want eyes everywhere at all times. Ciel will stay with me, and Mey-Rin, I want you flanking us from the right. Bardroy, stay across the street from us, about ten meters or so ahead of us. Finni, I want you to be ahead of us on the same side of the street about five meters ahead. I'll whistle if you get too far ahead of us. Got it?" the doctor was saying. Pluto spoke up.

"What about me?" he asked, and Sebastian turned to him.

"You'll take the car on ahead, since if they're looking for us, they'll be looking for the scratched up old hatchback. Take it to our Chinese acquaintance down in Chinatown for a paint job, and then go on by foot to the nearest safe house, and check if it's safe for us to go there. Then, I want you to go back, pick up the car, and give us a call." Sebastian said, pulling a handheld device that Ciel had seen the people in the street the other day holding up to their ears. "I've got a full battery on my phone – what about everyone else's?"

Suddenly, everyone around Ciel were pulling out the devices, some of them different colours, most of them black, but Mey-Rin's had a small silver figured dangling from hers on a small chain. On closer inspection, Ciel saw that it was a tiny, metal carving of a handgun. There was a round of "Full" or "half-full"s from everyone, before Sebastian nodded and tucked the device he'd called a phone away. Ciel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow to himself. The last time he'd seen a phone, it had been a lot …bigger. More impressive than the ones the group all had.

"Good." Sebastian said, before turning and putting a hand on Ciel's shoulder. "Now, we go."

And with that, they all filed out the front door, down a flight of steps through a narrow corridor until they entered into the back of a quiet pub that Finni had told Ciel about that reeked of alcohol and vomit, and then, one by one, they headed out of the bar, splitting up into the positions Sebastian had directed them to. As Ciel emerged into the street with Sebastian at his side, he was hit by all the sights, smells and sounds of the city on a busy morning.

And despite himself and all the danger he was in, he felt a secret shiver run up his spine. It felt good. He felt _free_.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

Another long chapter, done and dusted. Yay! Freedom! Sunlight to burn his skin! Oh, the wonders Ciel Phantomhive is about to experience! And what will come of this little outing in search of a new place to stay that doesn't stink like burning bacon and exploded milk? Well, you'll have to stay tuned for the next chapter! There's going to be at least one more before Santa comes down the chimneys, kids! Hope to see you there and read your lovely reviews :)

What are you still doing reading this? There's a box just below this message that says "POST A REVIEW" so what're you waiting for? I love you for it, you must know that!

_- Mercy_

_PS - Ciousk - I WANT THAT CRACK BACK. I NEED THAT STUFF. SERIOUSLY. *snoooooooorrts*_


	7. Chapter Six

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

Hiya everypony! Three updates in three days? I must be nuts!

So here's Chapter Six, before Christmas, as promised :D

I love you all, you must know that. And I know I beg for reviews but I really want to make my writing better; your feedback counts!

I'll leave it here for now, and let the chapter speak for itself ^^

_- Mercy_

…

_I spent half the day with a guy and we laughed every single time someone walked past us muttering something about the end of the world. It was hilarious. I wish I'd had a video camera._

* * *

**Chapter Six:** Round and Round A Caucus Race

-:-

The very first impression of modern society in the year two thousand and eleven that Ciel Phantomhive got was that it was incredibly _rushed_. Kids and their games, teenagers and their new age devices that Sebastian quietly explained were for means of instant communication across incredible distances viz electricity, and the adults. In his former life, as he liked to now think of it, Ciel had associated with many adults; business people, noblemen who bowed at the sound of his name alone, constables with Scotland Yard, murder victims family – there had been so many adults that he'd spoken with, had worked with. Now they didn't pay him any attention. Back then, the mere mention of the Phantomhive name had sent everyone into a flutter of gossip. Now, he guessed, it hardly meant a thing. He wasn't a powerful young Earl who policed the Underworld under the orders of the Queen Victoria. He was a child on the run, trying to find out how to stop the people who had turned his life upside down.

He supposed that it was a good thing, when he thought about it in that way, that he had Sebastian on his side. He glanced up at the tall, dark-haired man walking next to him. Sebastian had adopted a relaxed, almost lazy manner of walking, instead of his usual straight-shouldered stride. He'd given Ciel a pair of thick-rimmed glasses with dark tinted lenses, saying that they were called sunglasses, and that they'd help with the disguise and also protect his eyes from the sun. And so the shades completed Ciel's outfit, and he realized that he looked like pretty much every other teenager he saw passing by. There was a variety, of course – a pick and mix of teenage stereotypes, but he did manage to look like he fitted in, at least.

He could see Bardroy a little way ahead of them on the other side of the street; the man had a large rubber ball that he'd called a basketball, and was bouncing it alongside him as he walked, or rather, wove in and out of the crowds he passed, making a fool of himself to distract any attention that may have fallen on Sebastian and Ciel. Occasionally, they'd pass by a shops large front window, and out of the corner of his eye, Ciel could just see Mey-Rin following them a little way behind them. She looked happy and carefree, but he knew that she was also watching their every step, and everyone who passed them. Finnian was of course just a bit ahead of him and Sebastian, keeping an eye out from the front. Pluto had broken away from the group to head into an underground parking garage a little while ago so that he could fetch the car and head out by himself, and Sebastian had told Ciel that while Pluto was out doing the running around, Ciel could do a little bit of sight-seeing. So long as he stayed at Sebastian's side and didn't remove a single piece of his disguise. Sebastian had made doubly sure that Ciel had taken careful note of that part, to which Ciel had managed an eye roll that Sebastian had smirked at and congratulated him on being 'a typical teen'. Whatever that meant nowadays.

But even with the constant guarding and the fact that his heart was hammering like a steam train inside his chest, Ciel found himself actually enjoying the walk. The air was warm but there was a gently drifting breeze that rustled the trees that lined the streets on the sidewalk. Even with all these unfamiliar faces rushing past him, Ciel tried to make note of every single one of them; after all, Sebastian had warned him to never let his guard down. Just a single wrong look at somebody could attract attention, but from the safety behind his sunglasses, Ciel could smirk quietly to himself as he took in everyone's faces. Cars would zoom past them on the street, there was the constant honking of horns, the loud chatter of a passing group, someone somewhere laughing in conversation, and the occasional ringing sound that Sebastian had explained to him was the phones way of getting a persons attention to answer it. The whole world seemed to be alive, and for a while, Ciel almost forgot about being a lost and confused child. He forgot that he was missing a part of himself that he may never recover. He was so busy taking in every sight and every sound and every smell that he came to a rather sudden realization.

This was _fun_.

He couldn't quite remember ever really having fun in his former life. It didn't seem to suit the name of Ciel Phantomhive, the young Earl, the Queen's noble watchdog. That name had a serious undertone, a dark, mysterious ring to it. Of course, he had been happy when he'd been younger, of course, before his whole life came crashing around his ears and his parents had been murdered – no, that wasn't right. He didn't know what his life had been previously; that was all made up. He'd never lived in the late eighteen hundreds. He didn't know whether or not his parents were dead. All he had was Sebastian.

"…Ciel?" Sebastian asked suddenly, and Ciel blinked himself awake from his daze.

"What?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him. "I said, is there something the matter, Ciel?"

Ciel glanced away, in case Sebastian could read the unease on his face. But he couldn't help himself from asking. If he didn't now, he may have the courage again – and he'd certainly never have the courage to ask Sebastian face to face. Better to ask while in step beside the doctor.

"Did I…did I ever have, you know…fun…when I was younger? Before the – the experiments?" he dared to ask quietly, and even through all the sounds around them Sebastian heard him perfectly. The question seemed to make him consider for a moment.

"Well, you certainly weren't depressed," he said slowly, casting a quick look around them before continuing. "There were days where you were happier than others; those were mainly the days when your parents came to visit you, which was every three days. They made a point to ensure they spent as much time with you as they could – they would rotate the visits. You mother would come to see you on a Tuesday, you father on Friday. Those were the days they were able to get off from their jobs. But they would always come together to see you on Sundays."

"Was I ever unhappy when they weren't around?" Ciel ventured to ask, and Sebastian tilted his head to one side, once again considering the question.

"There were some days where you could be quite troublesome, but then again children not wanting to take their medication has always been a normal occurrence. There were also days where you were quite under the weather; feeling sicker than usual always brought your spirits down," Sebastian replied. He was quiet for a moment, but then he added, "However, on the whole I can't honestly say that you were ever truly unhappy. I think the rest of the medical team kept you far too amused for that."

"Amused?"

"Indeed," Sebastian smirked, casting a look across the street at Bardroy, who'd gotten into a tug-of-war match over his basketball with an unruly teenager. "They all had their own little…perks, shall we say. Mey-Rin used to put on magic shows for you, and when you got bored of her cards tricks she'd sit and play poker with you. I must say – you were very good for your age. She nearly lost half of the Hospital in a bet to you. Finni of course made your ward very homely; he had your entire windowsill alive with an assortment of plants, and would often bring in his pet bird to keep you company while he was on his other rounds with me. And Bardroy – well, Bardroy was always special, in his own way, I suppose."

"I can certainly see that," Ciel commented as he watched Bardroy finally manage to wrestle back the basketball from the teenager. He couldn't hear the man but he knew that Bard was cursing profanities at the kid, who in turn went and cursed right back. Sebastian chuckled lightly.

"He has a bit of a knack for kids, even if it doesn't always show. In fact, he was the one who first convinced you to start taking your medication; it was the one time in my entire life that I had to watch and learn from an inferior colleague," he admitted, and Ciel raised his eyebrows a little in amusement.

"Oh? There was something the great and powerful Sebastian couldn't accomplish?" he smirked, but the small smile on Sebastian's face vanished for a moment, surprising Ciel.

"Yes," the dark haired doctor said quietly. "Not only that, but I failed to be able to properly care for your illness before you were suddenly stolen from my hands. I think we can safely say you have no idea how it feels to lose something so precious that was entrusted to you and you alone."

Ciel swallowed back the comeback that rose in his throat, letting his eyes fall. He'd insulted Sebastian – before now, he would have told Sebastian to suck it up and move on. But that was when he had been Sebastian's master. And that had never actually been true.

"Actually," he replied softly. "I think I do. I lost the memories of that life – this life. I had them rewritten by things that never happened. Those memories were _mine_."

He didn't have to look up to know that Sebastian was watching him as they never ceased in their strides. He could feel the gaze. But it wasn't hard, reprimanding – it was gentle, almost concerned. He only looked up when Sebastian stopped, and he turned back to face him. Sebastian's hand suddenly patted the top of his head.

"How about something to eat?"

Ciel looked at him blankly.

"Huh?"

Sebastian smiled that same old smile that Ciel had come to know – the one that was interchangeable between Sebastian offering a guest something sweet to snack on or when he was informing someone of their impending doom at his hands. Then, Sebastian gestured at a nearby pastry shop they'd just stopped in front of.

"Hungry?"

It was the offer that Ciel couldn't deny – his stomach was growling again, and so Sebastian pulled out his phone and gave Finni, Bardroy and Mey-Rin each a quick call to tell them to pause and wait a moment, before Sebastian lead him inside the small shop. After about ten minutes of waiting in line and taking in the huge selection to choose from, Ciel made his decision and Sebastian ordered and paid, handing over a couple of coins to the girl behind the register before taking the paper bag she held out to him, handing it down to Ciel as they walked out.

They began to move again, the others all seeing them exit to shop and they began to move again themselves, Ciel digging his teeth into the wonderfully soft and flaky pastry. He couldn't have been sure, but he thought he saw Sebastian smiling gently to himself. He hated to admit it, but he really didn't mind the doctors presence; he wasn't the same man that Ciel had come to think he knew. He was similar, but perhaps not quite so hard, not quite so…cold.

He could get used to it, in all honesty. But before he relaxed into the feeling, something nagged at the corner of his mind as he caught sight of something. A car passed them by, a sleek black automobile, built low to the ground and a rather obvious sore thumb sticking out in the middle of the busy street. No one else seemed to have noticed, but when he snuck a glance at Sebastian, he saw that the doctor had also noticed the car, his dark crimson eyes narrowed a little behind his own pair of sunglasses.

"Say…aren't we a bit too exposed?" Ciel murmured, trying to keep his voice casual as he finished off the pastry. Sebastian took the paper bag it had been in from him, scrunched it up in his hand and lobbed it into a nearby trash can, keeping a cool composure.

"I knew it would be a risk, certainly, but all of us crammed into a hatchback that had massive scratches down its side was only a dead give away," Sebastian said with a sigh, quickly casting his eyes around to count the heads of everyone else – Bardroy had paused and was watching them from across the street – his eyes held caution. He'd seen the car too. "But then again, this is exactly what they wouldn't expect from us. Leading you out into the open? Only a fool would do that and they don't take me for a fool."

"So you're hoping that we'll go unnoticed right under their noses," Ciel said, and Sebastian nodded. He sent a glance Bardroy's way, and in turn Bardroy sent signals of some sort to Finnian and Mey-Rin that Ciel didn't quite see.

"Exactly," Sebastian said, but his voice became taught as the sleek black car suddenly passed them again, this time, slowly down as it passed. Ciel dared to take a glance at the window, but it was tinted to he couldn't see inside. His heart began to pound faster as he realized that they were being followed.

"Sebastian…"

"I know – I got it," Sebastian suddenly took his hand and dragged him roughly through the crowd, disappearing from the street side in an instant. Ciel stifled a cry as he was hauled forwards, and someone's elbow accidentally side-swiped his face, knocking his sunglasses away. The bright light suddenly assaulting his eyes made him yelp and he tried to hide his face, but Sebastian was still pulling him straight ahead, giving him no time to recover.

They branched off from the main street and into a side-alley, this time at a full pelt. Ciel felt the wind rushing past him, whipping through his hair and his lungs, finding that he had to try to run twice as fast to keep up with Sebastian's longer strides. Adrenaline pumping through his body, Ciel barely had time to register the yells that were suddenly coming from behind them, the squealing of tyres on the hot asphalt.

After what seemed like a forever later, they managed to navigate the labyrinth of dark, grimy streets and they emerged into what looked like a district that was somehow cut off from the rest of the city – banners with Chinese symbols on them hung from lampposts across the street, there were large blockades cutting off entrances to the area from the main roads, and the streets were littered with food stalls, meandering people and the occasional gun carrier. Stopping to catch their breath, Sebastian let go of Ciels hand and Ciel collapsed to his knees, sucking in grateful lungsful of air, his throat dry and his whole body trembling from the sudden exertion.

"We're not in the clear just yet," Sebastian said between his own panting. "They can still follow us via other routes – come on. Try to blend in."

"B-blend in?" Ciel heaved a huge breath and tried to look incredulously at Sebastian – an attempt that was foiled by exhaustion. "We're…we're the …most obvious…thing…here…"

"I know," Sebastian said softly, kneeling down to Ciel and offering him his hand. "But we can hide here until they pass. Then, we'll head back out through a back way I know and rejoin the others at a double-decker parking garage. Pluto will be waiting for us."

Ciel didn't have the energy to reply, and so he just allowed Sebastian to hoist him to his feet, and trudged after the doctor as he led him through the narrower, darker streets. The buildings were far closer together here, making every small space seem like it was alive with shadows. Ciel kept close to Sebastian's side, just as a yell behind them made him jump.

"I was hoping to avoid more trouble," Sebastian muttered as he picked up the pace, his strides becoming longer and quicker, forcing Ciel into a tired trot to keep up. Already Ciel's feet felt like they were on fire from the sudden outburst of running, and he'd bumped his shoulder on the corner of a building as they'd dodged around it, his shoulder now feeling like it was developing a huge bruise. But he forced himself to keep up, even though he'd barely ever had to exert himself more than waving a cane around in his former life.

_The life that no longer had a meaning_, he reminded himself.

Sebastian made a sudden turn down another street, and, not even daring to look behind him, Ciel followed, nearly completely overshooting Sebastian as the doctor skidded to a stop and swerved into a nearby shop, catching Ciel by the hand and dragging him in too. Ciel couldn't help by yelp at the sudden yank, but he stumbled to a stop without falling flat on his face – instead, bumping straight into Sebastian, who cushioned his stop with a small _ooph_.

"Wha-where are we?" Ciel asked as a tangy, spicy scent hit his nostrils, and he realized that there was the smell of Indian cooking hanging in the air. He looked around, only to see a number of people watching them curiously – they had entered a small restaurant. However, all of the people who'd glanced their way simply went back to minding their own business and their own meals in front of them after a moment. Apparently Ciel and Sebastian's sudden appearance didn't exactly strike all that much interest in them.

"Quickly now – there's not time to lose," Sebastian said, moving quickly through the little shop to the front counter. He slammed a hand down on the bell, and a young Indian man emerged, his ears and neck adorned with gold bands and rings, his outfit that of a traditional Indian waiter – and, underneath the white cap that covered his hair, Ciel's eyes widened as he saw a few strands of purple-dyed hair.

"S-_Soma_?!" he spluttered, and it took the boy a moment to recognize them, and then, his own eyes widened.

"Oh my – you're here! What a surprise – how are you both?" his shocked expression turned to one of happiness and relief, and he quickly came out from behind the counter to greet them, but Sebastian merely shook his head quickly, and Soma dropped his arms and nodded, spinning on his heel and leading them out into the back of the restaurant. Ciel wondered if there was some sort of silent communication between Soma and Sebastian, a signal of some sorts that he wasn't privy to – but at that moment, he didn't really care. So long as he wasn't found and taken away from Sebastian.

"Trouble?" Ciel wasn't honestly surprised this time when Agni appeared, his hands covered up to his elbows in flour, but his expression went from mild concern to outright shock as he noticed Ciel. "Khali above – Ciel Phantomhive?!" he asked in a hushed tone, and Sebastian nodded.

"Yes, and we're in a bit of a tight spot." Sebastian said quietly, and Agni nodded.

"Of course," the giant of a man said, gesturing for them to follow him deeper into the kitchen area. Soma caught Ciel by the arm before he followed, and gave him a small smile.

"It's so wonderful to see you're okay, Ciel," the Indian boy that Ciel had once known as a prince of the Ganges said, his eyes alight. "We've been waiting for you."

"W-waiting…?" Ciel asked, just as Sebastian called for him to hurry up. "What do you – "

"Go now," Soma gave him a gentle push in the direction that Sebastian and Agni had disappeared through. "Sebastian will keep you safe, but when things die down we'll meet again, I promise it!"

Ciel watched after the tan skinned young man as he headed back out to check on the customers, before shaking himself out of his daze and whirling to catch up with Sebastian and Agni, who were waiting for him at the other end of the kitchen, passed massive cooking pots and spice racks that spanned the length of the wall, passed huge sinks filled piled high with dishes and cutlery.

"Hurry now," Agni urged just as there was the slam of a door and several yells from the front of the shop. "They're here – Sebastian has told me everything; just hop in and wait for our signal."

He was holding open a rather small looking cupboard door, one that Ciel couldn't see into in the dim light, and he hesitated, hearing the sounds of the men that were following them demanding to search the shop, and Soma trying to fend them off with cheery bowls of curry.

"Hurry!" a hand shot out of the cupboard and grabbed Ciel's wrist just as several men in black suits burst into the kitchen, looking around furiously. Agni approached them, his tall body blocking the cupboard from view as Ciel managed to pull it closed behind him, finding himself squished right up against Sebastian, who was rather uncomfortably squashed himself. Neither dared to make a sound as they could hear the men making demands that they search the entire kitchen, from top to bottom, for a tall, black-haired man and his small, scrawny child accomplice.

The words were muffled but they could clearly hear the anger in Agni's voice as he made some sort of off the wall rant about the men intruding in his kitchen, disturbing his work – making him leave his cooking unattended; Ciel winced a bit as he heard Agni's voice grow louder and angrier, the Indian man really working himself up into a rage, until finally the men backed down and left, their fading words rather disgruntled.

After about another minute or so of agonizing silence in which Ciel and Sebastian both held their breath and onto each other, both for support in their precarious predicament and for some element of comfort, Agni's padding footsteps finally returned, and the cupboard door opened.

"I apologise deeply for the tight fit," he said softly as he reached in to help Ciel climb out. "But we're starting our renovations next month, so if you find yourself in need of another hiding place here anytime soon feel free to drop by."

He smiled down at Ciel before reaching back in to help out Sebastian, who grunted and winced as his injured shoulder banged and bumped against the tight confines of the cupboard walls.

"You know how – urgh, _ouch_ – grateful I am that you can put up with us on such short notice, Agni," Sebastian ground out as he was pulled to his feet by Agni, who merely smiled again, his sudden rage from before disappearing like a cloud of steam.

"A pleasure that is all ours," he replied simply. "It's been too long, old friend."

Ciel watched as they nodded and shook hands, but he himself didn't go unnoticed. Agni looked down at him thoughtfully.

"And it's quite a sight to see you, too, young Phantomhive," he said. "But we always had faith that Sebastian would bring you back."

"Bring me back?" Ciel repeated, but Sebastian cleared his throat quickly.

"Erm, yes – the situation stands as this; Ciel only remembers you from fragments of memory that his subconscious pieced together after he had some brain matter removed that held his memories," he said, and Agni's eyes widened. "He know who you are, but he knows you as someone different."

"Incredible – so all the rumours were true," Agni said, a little sadly. "Might I ask as to how different I was to you, Ciel?"

Ciel blinked and shrugged. "Uh – well, you were still a curry chef. That much seems unchanged. And you were working with Soma – except…um…Soma was kind of a…prince."

Agni took a moment before breaking into a chuckle. "Oh my – well, he can certainly act like it on occasion."

Sebastian nodded. "Indeed. But now is hardly the time for idle chit-chat, I'm afraid – we must be getting back to the others. We'll still have to be careful, but if you'll allow us to use the back exit we'd be eternally grateful."

"Say no more, friend," Agni smiled as he turned to lead them back across the kitchen to a back door that was half-hidden behind large, folded cardboard boxes and empty plastic crates. He unlocked it and heaved it open, having to throw his weight against it once to help it come unstuck. It creaked open and he held it ajar for them, giving them both a bow. "Safe travels."

"And the very same to you," Sebastian nodded as he ushered Ciel out and into the grimy little back alley that the back of the curry shop had opened out to. It was even smaller and grimier than the others Ciel had already seen today. Agni let the door fall closed behind them, and there was a moment of silence as they gathered themselves.

"I have no idea what just happened," Ciel breathed out a deep sigh, feeling a slight tickle in his chest, but he swallowed the wheeze, hoping Sebastian wouldn't notice it as he brushed himself off. "Who were those men that were after us?"

"Those would have been Dispatch officers," Sebastian replied as he gently massaged his wounded shoulder, wincing every so often. "And from now on we'll have to be careful and keep our heads extra low. Otherwise we risk further exposure."

"So we went out into the open to avoid the people who're after us, only to be seen by another set of people who're also after us?" Ciel asked, and Sebastian nodded.

"Pretty much correct. However the Dispatch has no need for me – only you. To them, I'm a monster who experiments on children with drugs. They'd rather shoot me than interrogate me." He said. "But you're the one the Dispatch is after. The Hospital is after both of us."

"Oh yes, but _I_ could certainly have a use for you."

The sudden voice made them both jump, Sebastian instantly grabbing Ciel and pulling him behind him to shield him. The voice was so familiar, the tone so flirtatious…Ciel tried to believe that it wasn't real. There was no _way_ this person could _possibly_ be a part of this world…

Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he glared down the alleyway, seeing something in the shadows that Ciel's eyes couldn't.

"There's no use lurking back there," he growled, and there was a girlish chuckle.

"No use indeed but what of you? _You've_ been lurking around for years, my darling. And now you're trying to hide the jackpot from us? How _cruel_ of you to not share," the voice smirked, and Ciel's eyes widened as he saw a tiny flash of red.

"Cruel?" Sebastian said incredulously. "Oh no – I'm capable of far worse than not sharing my things. Besides, I've been playing dead for the last few years – wasn't that enough to send your case cold?"

"Unfortunately not cold enough," the voice countered, this time with a touch more malice to it, it's playful tone hardening a bit. "Overtime is so dreadfully boring when you get stuck chasing dead ends but now – _now_, the trail is just as red hot as before."

The sound of footsteps approaching echoed through the alley. Ciel couldn't quite grasp the name – it was on the tip of his tongue…

"I'll admit, you played dead so very well, my love. But you're going to have to put a bit more practice in it if you're going to want to stay undercover."

Closer, closer…the footsteps sounded like the wearer was wearing boots – high heeled boots…

"So whaddaya say, _Bassy_? How about you start by rolling over and handing me the nut-case brat you've got there?" Red and black ankle boots appeared from the shadows, followed by dark pressed pants, a white shirt, waistcoat and a blood red jacket.

Locks of long red hair fell over the mans feminine shoulders, his grin tugging the corners of his lips wide. There were no shark teeth but the effect was all the same – Ciel suddenly felt like he was a tiny, cornered mouse being stared down by a prowling, grinning cat.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes again, tired of playing the game as their mysterious guest came into full view. There was venom in his voice as he spat out the name that Ciel finally managed to remember.

"Grell Sutcliff."

The man gave them a sly wink, a flirty twist to his words.

"At your _service_."

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

CUE DRAMATIC MUSIC. ***DUNNA-DUN-DUUUUUUUN!***

Enter the lovely Grell Sutcliff, the coy Dispatch member who's got a hard one for our dearest Sebastian! What will become of the cornered two? Will they ever see their friends again? Will Ciel be taken away by one of the great evils looming in his life? Or will Sebastian save the boy he's sworn to protect? Witness their daring escape _NEXT TIME_ on Subject 13's Butler~!

Aaaah I love you all. Go forth – please, review! I need reviews! They're….so…so addicting….and YAAAAY SOMA AND AGNI WOOO! *does fan dance* that scene from the curry shop actually totally came out of nowhere. I was like, "Ciel and Sebastian, getting chased by men in black suits in a Chinatown-esque area? INSERT SOMA AND AGNI YEEEEEAAAAH!"

So yeah, basically this chapter was lots of fun to write. Especially Grell at the end – I had the scene in my head for ages and I was like, yeah, let's totally throw a spanner into the works just as they think they're in the clear. Readers love that kind of stuff. Hope it worked for you guys!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y'ALL IF I DON'T UPDATE AGAIN BEFORE!

_Mercy_

_P.S – I survived the end of the world; anyone else still out there?_


	8. Chapter Seven

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

I've had this song running around my head for a while; I don't know the words and I really need to download it so I can. It's not even in English – I'm pretty sure it's Korean. It has freaking NOTHING to do with this chapter but it's an awesome song nonetheless! Nililli Mambo by Block B, if anyone's a popasian like me! 8D

I haven't been feeling the best lately and that's why it's taken me three looong days to update. But it's just in time for Christmas, y'all! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

_- Mercy_

…

_It's really hard trying to not refer to Grell as "the reaper". Seriously. And Sebastian as "the demon". Its just…ARGH. A frustration that I brought upon myself XD_

* * *

**Chapter Seven:** Family Ties

-:-

It felt as though Ciel was looking into the smirking eyes of death itself. The first time he'd seen Grell Sutcliff in such a familiar setting was at the uncovering of Jack the Ripper. The time before that, Grell had been posing rather atrociously as a butler for Ciel's aunt. Now, Ciel didn't even know if Madame Red had ever existed at all, or if she was just another figment of his imagination.

The narrow alleyway was fairly dark, despite the overhead sunlight from the warm day, the shadows that covered the three of them like a blanket causing the temperature to drop a few quite obvious degrees. Still drawing in heaving breaths, adrenaline suddenly fresh in his veins, Ciel almost felt a wave of déjà vu – followed by a wave of dizziness. Running and stopping so suddenly made his head spin. He wasn't used to this, he wasn't sure how to cope – he tried to focus on what Sebastian was saying.

"…It's certainly been a long time since I've had to deal with someone of your calibre, at any rate," the doctor was saying, his voice calm, but Ciel could hear the tension in it. "I was hoping your superiors wouldn't have been so desperate as to send even you."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Grell snarled back. "Aren't I good enough for you, my dear? You honestly think that I'm not worthy of being sent after you?"

"Not after the last time I saw you," Sebastian said flippantly. "After all, you were breaking just about every single rule that you're supposed to be abiding by."

"True enough, I suppose," Grell sighed, and Ciel could only try to imagine what the last time these two had encountered each other had been like. Sebastian – calm cool and collection, in opposition to Grell – who Ciel knew to be ruthless, backstabbing and completely untrustworthy. Not to mention a gender confused idiot. That was another thing that didn't seem changed about Grell – the man still let his crimson hair grow long, til it was trailing at the bottom of his shoulder blades, and he had a baggy red jacket that hung off his elbows – not half as graceful as Madame Red's had been.

Ciel couldn't help but begin to cough as he felt the tickle in his chest, and soon, the curt conversation between Sebastian and Grell petered out as they held him begin to wheeze and splutter uncontrollably. Black spots appeared at the edge of Ciel's vision – his windpipe felt like it was constricting and tightening in his throat, and he stumbled backwards.

Before he hit the concrete, however, Sebastian had suddenly darted behind him, catching him with his good arm and holding him close.

"What _now_?" Ciel heard Grell grumble, and all he could see was Sebastian's concerned eyes roaming over his face.

"Asthma attack," he could hear the doctor saying faintly, but the voice was muffled, Ciels coughs wracking his entire body, causing tremors to ripple through him. It felt like his lungs were completely dry – air just wouldn't pass into them –

Sebastian was saying something urgently – Ciel wasn't sure if it was to Grell or to him, but a moment later there was something pressing against his face – something that had a dead, plastic taste to it. There was a hiss, and suddenly there was some sort of bitter spray shot straight down Ciel's throat and into his lungs. His gag reflex kicked in and he tried to object, spluttering and coughing even more, but there was suddenly more air in his lungs, there was a way for him to breathe again. Sebastian pumped the apparatus again, sending another spray into Ciel's mouth, which Ciel obediently inhaled, and the world became a little clearer. Then, the doctor took away the handheld pump-action device and told Ciel to take a few deep breaths. Several long inhalations and exhalations later, Ciel was breathing properly again and he looked up to see Grell looking down at them both, looking mildly unimpressed.

"What a show," the redhead said, his mouth twisting up into a cruel smirk. "And to think, all I had to do was call in a sighting of the phantom doctor and his precious patient and it would have all been over."

Sebastian glowered at him.

"True, but by the time they got here, there'd be nothing left of you to fill a body bag," he snarled, and Grell held up his hands in mock surprise.

"Bassy, _really_? So cold and unashamedly cruel – you know you can't lay a finger on me; that would break our little agreement, wouldn't it?" he said darkly, and Ciel looked up at Sebastian, who narrowed his eyes at the smirking redhead.

"All I'm asking is this once," the doctor said in a low voice, sounding almost pleading, and Grell's eyes widened before a grin spread over his fine features.

"Whaaaat? The mighty Sebastian Michaelis, _begging_ for the life of a _child_?" he sneered, but Sebastian held his gaze steady, unwavering. Grell paused and sighed, seeming to consider. "Well, I suppose the worst I could do is say I found nothing. It would make for a dull report but Will seems to have a field day going through those. I have been known to over look a couple of minor details of a mission…"

He gave Sebastian a sly look, before chuckling to himself and nodding. "Yes, I suppose it isn't uncommon for me to make the odd mistake when it comes to identifying people; perhaps I never _did_ see a tall, ravishingly handsome man and his young scrawny little counterpart. Of course, if I happen to look around again I might just spot them…"

Sebastian let out a deep breath of relief, and lifted Ciel up to his feet.

"Come on – we're leaving." He said, before turning to Grell. "Safe passage out of here and we're even."

Grell gave him a devious smile. "Well, this is a one-way alley. Of course, I suppose that wall behind that dumpster isn't too high – probably too high for me to see over, but maybe if one were to climb onto the dumpster they'd make it over." He said, without really directing the words to either Ciel or Sebastian. In fact, Ciel could see that he was purposely pretending to talk out loud to himself – and then the realization hit. Grell was giving them an escape.

"B-but why…?" Ciel asked and Sebastian took him by the shoulder and turned to face the dumpster.

"We don't ask questions with Grell," Sebastian said quietly. "He owed us a favour."

"A-_hem_," Grell cleared his throat meaningfully from behind them, and they turned back to face him. He smiled coyly at Sebastian and tapped his cheek with one finger. "Just because it's a favour doesn't mean that silence is guaranteed. I need a little more convincing than just _that_."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and sighed before quickly crossing back over to Grell, and Ciel watched in surprise as Sebastian leaned in and kissed Grell's cheek, the redhead letting his eyes close to saviour the touch. Then, Sebastian whirled and headed back to Ciel, not saying a word, instead simply wrapping an arm around Ciel and hoisting him up so he could clamber up onto the partially rusted dumpster before nimbly hopping up himself.

They looked back down at Grell, who was watching them go, a hand on his hip and that same coy smile on his face. Ciel saw Sebastian nod to the redhead before taking Ciels hand and helping him to scramble up onto the brick wall behind the dumpster. Ciel straddled the brickwork and looked over the other side – it didn't look like too much of a drop, but he found himself suddenly scared of dropping down to the ground. Sebastian hooked his leg over the wall and touched Ciel's shoulder.

"I'll go down first, then I'll help you down."

"Okay," Ciel nodded, and Sebastian let himself slide down off of the bricks, his feet hitting the ground below and he let out an ooph from the impact. Ciel realized that it was further down than he'd thought – he hadn't realized how tall the dumpster was. a small tremble ran through him, and he hesitated.

"Oh, and cutie~" Grell called after him, and Ciel turned to see Grell had begun heading back up the alley away from them, but had stopped to add something. "Look after that darling big oaf of yours, he has a habit of biting off more than he can chew."

Ciel was about to ask who Grell meant when he realized that it was Sebastian.

"How so?" he replied, and Grell chuckled softly.

"Well, he risked his life trying to rescue you, didn't he?" the redhead called. "He let himself get shot but still he protected you. It'll only get worse. Consider this a warning, kid – if you don't pick up your game and start fending for yourself it'll only get him killed. And after all he's done for you, don't you think that's a little unfair?"

Ciel was left speechless as Grell turned and sashayed away, his footsteps fading on the concrete and the red of his jacket and hair disappearing into the shadows. After a moment, Sebastian called up to him.

"Ciel? Are you all right? Ciel?"

Ciel shook himself from the daze, and closed his eyes with a deep breath before allowing himself to slide off of the wall and into Sebastian's waiting arm. Once they'd recovered, they began moving again through this new alleyway, towards the exit that Ciel could tell led back out into the main city area again, the sounds of busy traffic and people not too far off. But he just couldn't stop thinking about those words Grell had left him with.

_It'll only get worse._

What would? Was this just a one-off time that they got lucky? If it had been any other day, would Grell have turned them in? Were there more people out there, looking for them? More agents from the Dispatch – people from the Hospital – even the general public?

_Pick up your game._

Ciel wished for the first time that he could remember that he wasn't as short as he was. With his lack of height came a natural slender physique. It didn't help that he was weak as well – having just woken from a three and half year coma was only the start of his problems; he had the vaguest idea that he hadn't been the strongest of children even before the drug testing. The fact that he'd had severe pneumonia only added to that suspicion. But he had to get stronger – become more independent, even if all he'd ever really known was how much he'd come to rely on Sebastian.

_It'll only get him killed._

After everything he's done…

_Fend for yourself._

_But he still protected you…_

_Isn't that a little unfai-_

"Ciel?" Sebastian's voice cut through the swirling maelstrom of Grell's words and Ciel snapped out of the stupor he'd fallen into, trudging robotically at Sebastian's side. He blinked a few times.

"Huh?"

Sebastian was giving him a concerned look. "Are you feeling all right?"

Ciel shook himself. "I'm fine." He said, but Sebastian picked up on the tension in his voice.

"Did Grell say something to you?"

The boy let his eyes drop so that Sebastian couldn't see them, feeling that if the doctor did see, he'd also see the guilt behind them. Instead of answering, Ciel cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders – there was no point in dwelling on it.

"So – Grell owed you a favour?"

"Don't change the subject. What did he say to you?" Sebastian asked, his eyes narrowing, and he reached out to get a hold on Ciel's hoodie. Ciel whirled to face him, feeling the anger well up inside him. He hated the feeling of being questioned like this.

"_Nothing_, all right? If he said something, don't you think I'd _tell_ you?" he practically shouted in Sebastian's face, and the doctor reeled back a little, his eyes wide in shock. Ciel yanked away from the mans grip and glared at him. "I'm not a child anymore so don't treat me like one!"

"What's gotten into you?" Sebastian snapped back, frowning. "You were fine a minute ago – where did this attitude come from?"

"It doesn't matter!" Ciel said viciously. "You don't need to baby me all the time – I can do just fine on my own."

Sebastian raised and eyebrow sceptically. "You mean like the way you handled that asthma attack?"

Ciel felt his cheeks colour and he bit back from replying with a rude comment – Sebastian had a point there. He looked away. This was only causing more trouble than it was worth. Before he could say any more, Sebastian was suddenly in front of him, dropping to one knee to look Ciel in the face.

"Look at me," the doctor commanded when Ciel hid his eyes under his fringe. "Ciel – _look at me_."

With a reluctant sigh, Ciel lifted his eyes to Sebastian, pouting.

"What?"

Sebastian sighed himself, shaking his head a little as he just gave Ciel a look before replying. His eyes were hard, though – they were gentle, not glaring or sneering at him.

"Whatever Grell said to you, it's got you upset," Sebastian said seriously, and her very gently took Ciel's fingers in one hand. "It's all right."

Ciel glanced away, chewing his lip. He felt like such a child, being comforted by a parent or elder sibling after a run in with a bully. Finally, he let it out.

"He told me that it was unfair on that I was so weak," he mumbled. "That I was so dependent. He said I had to 'pick up my game'."

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow, a familiar smirk slowly appearing on his face. Ciel watched his reaction carefully. What would he think? He couldn't remember placing so much faith in Sebastian in his former life that he would expose himself like this. But Sebastian merely smiled.

"He's just trying to get at you, testing your trust." The doctor said. "It's nothing to worry about, really – hardly anyone takes him seriously."

"Does anyone?"

"Only I do, in situations like this," Sebastian nodded. "You see, we have a gesture between us that can signify how serious we're being – how serious the matter at hand is. It's known as the Judas Kiss."

Ciel raised his eyebrows at Sebastian. "The 'Judas Kiss'?"

"Indeed – do you remember or are you familiar with the teachings of the Bible?" the doctor asked, and Ciel nodded slowly.

"…Sort of."

"Then you know how Judas the betrayer marked out Jesus to the soldiers? By giving him a kiss on the cheek?"

"…Yes." Ciel had a very faint idea of where this was going.

"Well, we do just that – you see, Grell and I have a sort of truce; he won't turn us in to the Dispatch if he catches us, but if anyone else does there's nothing he can do. In return, we feed him the occasional piece of information about the Hospitals underground workings. But we skate on thin ice with him – he's not an incredibly trustworthy man and has been known to disregard his side of a deal at any given time. However, to show that we trust that the other will hold up their end of the bargain, we use the Judas Kiss. In this case, I showed Grell that I give him my faith that he won't rat us out to the Dispatch." Sebastian explained, and Ciel had to think about the logic of that for a moment. It did, in a way, make sense. However, Ciel had a sneaking feeling that Grell's bent sexuality also played into the reason why he wanted a kiss from Sebastian, but he didn't bring it up.

"So, have there ever been cases where he's had to do that to you?" Ciel asked slowly, and Sebastian nodded.

"Absolutely. The first time is probably the best example. See, he and one of his partners had come to the Hospital a few months before the start of the drug testing and experimentations; the Dispatch had caught wind that there might be illegal operations in the area and had come to investigate, hoping to shut down any plans before anything could be done."

"And what happened?"

"They came to the children's ward – this would have only been about a week or so before you were admitted to the Hospital – I, in my idiocy of believing that a facility founded to assist in curing illness and injury would never be so evil as to experiment on its underage patients, denied them both access. However his work companion insisted on investigating further even after he was ready to pack up and go, so I asked the man to step outside and have a word with me in private." Sebastian said, getting back to his feet. Ciel raised his eyebrows – he had a feeling that there had been more done than just a private word.

"And?"

"And I broke his neck for his imprudence." Sebastian said simply, as if he was just recounting what the weather had been like that day. "The moment Grell saw me come back into the Hospital without his work associate he knew what kind of danger I could be to him. So he lets us off partially because without this wire-thin truce between us, no progress on the investigation into the Hospital is made, but mostly because he's scared stiff of me."

Ciel had to force himself to swallow hard before replying to that. He wondered briefly how he could have possibly trusted this man if he was able to break a fully grown mans neck so easily. He then had to remind himself that Sebastian was the one who'd rescued him and had put so much effort so far into keeping him out. But Grell's words suddenly came back to him;

_It'll only get worse._

"S-so, he let us off this time to save his own skin or because he owed us a favour?" Ciel quickly squashed down the words that were running around his mind, and Sebastian shrugged his good shoulder.

"The favour, mostly. But I'm sure fear factors into it quite a bit." He said with a smirk, before becoming serious again. "Now, if you're quite finished with your attitude issues, we'd better get a move on – the others are no doubt wondering where we've gotten to and are probably worrying."

Ciel sighed and followed behind as Sebastian began walking again. They emerged back onto the streets a few minutes later, completely unnoticed by the other pedestrians and passers-by. In fact, all the commotion they must have caused earlier seemed to have died down completely – either that, or the pursuing Dispatch officers had affected nothing on this side of the Chinatown-esque area. Sebastian checked from side to side around the edges of the buildings before he allowed Ciel to step back out into the daylight, and they headed down the street, mingling with the crowds and staying clear of drawing any attention to themselves.

A few blocks later, Ciel was already breathing hard again from the warmth of the day combined with the slowly draining feeling that the adrenaline rush had left behind, and he had to stop to try and regain his breath. Just as he felt the tickle brush his lungs, though, Sebastian was pressing something into his hands – the pump-action device from earlier.

"What's this for?" Ciel wheezed, making Sebastian shake his head a bit.

"It's called an inhaler – and for good reason, too," the doctor said. "Hold it to your mouth, and inhale as you squeeze the trigger. It'll help to settle your asthma. Take a deep breath between squeezes, and only do it two or three times."

Ciel did as he was instructed, and after a while of deep breathing and inhaling the terrible taster stuff, he was feeling better; less wheezy and more stable on his feet. But he didn't hold back in pulling a face as he handed the inhaler back to Sebastian.

"Ew, what's in that?" he asked, sticking his tongue out. Sebastian smirked and simply pushed the inhaler back into his hands again.

"It's called Ventolin – and it tastes so bad because it's good for you. Hold onto it, just don't over use it." He said, and Ciel sighed and tucked the inhaler into his pocket. Then, they started again, and a few blocks later Sebastian turned into an alleyway that was large enough to drive a car through, Ciel following closely at his side.

They were heading back into the Chinatown area, Ciel could tell from all the banners with the Chinese symbols hanging from them, and the distinct smell of noodles and curry. The air grew a little thicker, not uncomfortably so, but there were large tarpaulins and blankets stretching from roof to roof overhead, blocking out the majority of the sun. The alleyway followed a downwards slope into an underground garage that seemed to swallow the two of them whole, and Ciel found himself unconsciously walking close to Sebastian, the doctors taller presence seeming like a beacon in the darkness.

"Where are we?" Ciel breathed, unable to see a thing. He stumbled, catching onto Sebastian's sleeve, and the man helped to right him again, and they continued, Sebastian's confident steps followed by Ciel's faltering and stumbling ones, Ciel clinging by now to Sebastian's sleeve.

"The underground parking garage where we're meeting Pluto and the others. This is the front entrance, which is very rarely used for anything but leaving. The others would have come down here on foot, except for Pluto, who got here earlier to meet with our acquaintance who runs a side business of a chop-shop, I suppose you could call it." Sebastian said, his low voice carrying far in the darkness, bouncing and echoing off walls that Ciel couldn't see. By now, they were so far away from the entrance that they couldn't even see the faint light from the world above at the entrance.

"Does this acquaintance have a name?" Ciel asked softly, wondering if it was someone he might have known in his former life. Most likely not, he reasoned, since this was an acquaintance of Sebastian's – and that meant it could be anybody.

He heard Sebastian chuckle gently.

"Actually, remember when you were telling us everything you remembered yesterday?" he said, and Ciel's stomach plummeted about a foot. So it was someone he knew. "He and his younger sister seemed to play quite a large role in your delusional escapades, although I don't see any connection between you and he unless he knew your family."

"Oh God, please don't let it be one of the idiots who worked in the Funtom Company," Ciel breathed, trying to think of all the people he remembered who had a younger sister.

"Oh no, he wasn't even English," Sebastian said, and Ciel could practically hear his smirk. At that moment, Ciel saw a flicker of light a little way off, behind some pillars that held up the roof. It looked like the other end of the garage, which had a little bit better lighting than where they'd come in.

"H-hey, what's that?" he asked, pointing, and Sebastian squinted to see it as well.

"I'd say that's the others – looks like our acquaintance has met the others here already." He said. "Also looks like they've made good use of Pluto."

Ciel didn't reply as they got closer – he could make out the shapes of Bardroy, Finni and Mey-Rin all standing around the beaten up hatchback that stood out in the centre area of the garage, away from where there were rows and rows of assorted other vehicles parked neatly. A few men the Ciel didn't recognize were standing around with them. Finni was the first to see Ciel and Sebastian approaching.

"Hey! You're all right!" he cried in relief, running over to give Ciel a hug which the boy awkwardly accepted – it was a gesture he hadn't been expecting, but he returned it nonetheless. Finni was babbling away in excitement. "I'm so glad you're safe! You had I so worried and all the time – "

"All the freakin' time he wouldn't freakin' shut _up_," Pluto's voice came somewhere from underneath the hatchback, and Ciel had to bend over and look under it to see him – the silver haired young man scooted out from under the car on one of the boards on wheels Ciel had seen the kids in the street riding the other day. There was a long silver spanner in his hand, and a grouchy look on his face. "Honestly, Sebastian – next time? Take Finni with you – I can't concentrate with his nervous jibberin'!"

Sebastian smirked at Pluto as they drew level with the others. Mey-Rin and Bardroy came over and Mey-Rin also gave Ciel a hug, Bardroy just settling for a pat on the head.

"So sorry, Pluto, but things took a turn for the worse. We did get lucky though – we could have been in a lot more trouble if it wasn't for a deceitful mans honour." He said, and Mey-Rin glanced up at him.

"You ran into Grell, didn't you?" she asked in a low voice, and Sebastian nodded.

"Indeed. Fortunately he was in a good mood." He replied, and Bardroy let out a low whistle.

"Sheesh – you two got off lightly then." The blonde said, making Ciel look up at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Bardroy shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well most days Grell's more likely to ask for a fight," he said. "He's even taken on Sebastian if he's in a shit enough mood."

"Bard!" Mey-Rin hissed, poking him hard on the shoulder. "_Language_!"

"What?" Bardroy grumbled as Ciel wormed his way out from under them and left them to bicker amongst themselves. He stepped over to Sebastian and Pluto.

"What happened to the car?" Sebastian was asking, and Pluto sighed, looking a little exasperated.

"Well, see – I came in here, asked for the manager, like you do, and those nutters step out here all AK-Forty-Sevens and start shooting the hell outa the ground round the car. Once they'd given me the chance to explain myself," Pluto growled, throwing glares at the surrounding men, who Ciel took a moment to take in. They were all Asiatic, and like Pluto had said, they all carried large, rifle-like guns over their shoulders. "They apologized and sent for our friend. Meanwhile I discovered that a bit of asphalt got lodged in part of the undercarriage, puncturin' and squishin' two of the pipes together so the car won't start – I've been tryin' to dig it out."

"Any success?" Sebastian asked, squatting down to peer underneath the car and around Pluto, who shook his head.

"Not so far. I'll keep tryin' – he should be out any minute." He replied before scooting back under the car, spanner in hand. Sebastian straightened.

"What does he mean by that?" Ciel asked, and Sebastian sighed.

"He means our acquaintance. The man has a habit of taking his time about getting things done." The doctor said, just as Ciel heard footsteps approaching. He and Sebastian turned to see an approaching shadow.

"My, my – if it isn't the little Lord Phantomhive, back from the dead just as promised," the light, almost sing-song voice said, and Ciel knew immediately who it was. The hem of a kimono appeared from the shadows, followed by the rest of the man who never seemed to open his eyes. At his side was a Chinese girl who clung to his arm like Ciel had clung to Sebastian's sleeve.

"Lau." Ciel said, not sure if he was feeling bitter or unimpressed about seeing the opium trader again. But that was his past life – what if Lau was different here? Sebastian said he ran a chop-shop as a side business; what if that meant that in this world, he was still a drug trader at heart?

Lau smiled in greeting, but next to him, Ran-Mau's face remained expressionless.

"And how nice it is to see you again, Master Phantomhive," Lau said, but Ciel was unsure if he was being genuine or not. "You've certainly grown up since I last saw you – when was it again?"

Ciel stood his ground, getting in before Sebastian could answer for him; this time, he was going to show some independence.

"I don't remember," he said, holding his voice steady. "I've been in a drug-induced coma for the last three and a half years. Why don't you see if _you _can remember?"

Lau's brows lifted, obviously hearing the challenge in Ciel's voice. He relaxed with a smirk. "Ah yes, you're certainly the boy I remember you to be. And my, that's a truly terrible thing to hear, although I'm sure Mister Sebastian was there for you the whole way. Let me see – it must have been…hmm, you're eighth birthday party, I think, was when we last met."

Ciel's eyes widened – so he did know Lau from before the experiments. Then, he narrowed his eyes. "Wait – what were _you_ doing at one of my birthday parties?" He didn't care what part Lau played in this world; he was still going to treat the Chinese trader like he remembered him. Something in his mind didn't sit quite right with the idea of Lau being a welcomed family guest in a gathering of what Sebastian made the Phantomhive household out to be.

Lau smiled again.

"Why, I was a business acquaintance of your father, Vincent Phantomhive, of course," he said smoothly, and if he'd had his eyes open he wouldn't have so much as batted them. "We were undeniably a force to be reckoned with when we worked together."

Something caught in Ciel's throat – he glanced at Sebastian and the others, but they were all watching him. This was his fight to win – he wasn't going to let Lau beat him. He was going to get the answers he wanted.

"A-and…and what exactly did my father do?" he asked cautiously. He was well aware that this was something that probably only Lau could answer; after all, everyone else gathered only knew Ciel and his family because they worked at the Hospital. He doubted that Sebastian, Mey-Rin, Finni, Bardroy or Pluto knew anything about Vincent Phantomhive's business partnerships.

There was that same old smile on Lau's face, the one that said that he knew more than he was letting on. The smile that said that Ciel should back down before he head something he didn't want to. But Ciel held his ground.

"Your father," Lau began, a dangerous tone to his words. "Was one of the most renown men in London. Not only was he wealthy and an incredibly popular public figure, but he had a dark side, too. One that you might not want to know about."

"_Tell me_," Ciel growled, adding a touch of venom to his words. Lau sighed and lazily looped an arm around Ran-Mau's shoulders.

"He was also known, by less public eyes, as a watchdog of London's underworld."

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

BAHAHAHA I'M SO EVIL WHAT A CLIFFHANGER RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS! Seriously though, I didn't think I'd get this one done for aaaages because me being the person I am, I get all hyped up on something for a while, then I hit a low and instead of typing I waste time playing games and endless rounds of solitaire. It's a sad life I live.

BUT FEAR NOT! If you thought this chapter was a bit weak, then that's cool, coz I know it was – it could have been better, especially with Grell. I wanted more action, but I also want to set Grell up as a more neutral character – he's got to be flexible (like that delicious body of his ~ grrrROWRrrr~). And Lau…yeah. Lau's an opium smoking idiot like always :D

Review and have a very merry and safe Christmas! I love you all!

_- Mercy_


	9. Chapter Eight

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

**_Author: _**_AoUsagi_

**_Summary: _**_Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

**_BeforeNote:_**

I am SO very sorry that it's taken me so long to update – I meant to have this chapter up days ago (Boxing Day, to be exact), but I came to the tragic discovery that my internet had run out D: so while waiting to be able to recharge our wireless broadband stick we'll have to make do with a telstra prepaid doohickey that can be really unreliable. Right now I'm in my towns public library, chewing up their incredibly slow yet reliable internet connection while I wait for a friend. UPDATING AT LAST. ANYWAY. I'm getting this chapter up as soon as I can, I promise, my lovelies!

Ahh, more Lau fun. What a guy – not my favourite character, but still a high contestant for first place. No, sadly, first place goes unquestionably to William T Spears, that handsome hell-bent idiot with a massive broom handle stuck up his ass. Is it just because I worship the ground Nagaoka Takuya walks on? Probably. Now HE is one hell of a dude. So who's _YOUR_ favourite Kuro character, hmmm? TELL MEH. (i.e.: REVIEW!)

_- Mercy_

**…**

_"The afterimage floating in the moonlit night,_

_Is my transient black memory._

_In a distorted morning of disgrace,_

_I sail a voyage of corruption."_

Ten glory points and a high-five to the reviewer who can tell me which Kuroshitsuji character had the above lyrics in one of their character songs from season two~! ;D

PS – **_INCREDIBLY LONG CHAPTER AHEAD_**. Just forewarning you all :) Also **WARNING**: violence against Sebastian in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

* * *

**Chapter Eight:** Rain

-:-

If words could describe the sudden feeling of dread that plunged through the bottom of Ciel's stomach, it would be the equivalent of a large anvil being dropped from ten feet in the air through a set of old floorboards. If words could describe the way something felt like it was knotting around his heart and his lungs, constricting him of air, it would be the splinters and shards of the broken floorboards piercing and contorting around his organs.

And if there was anyway to describe the look on Lau's face, it was satisfied smugness. This was a fight he'd one; his trump card of knowledge had trounced Ciel's attempt to defend himself and stand on his own two feet against his opponent. He all but collapsed to his knees, his legs were trembling so much. His fingers seemed weak as they tried to grasp the inhaler in his pocket, and the cool plastic slipped from his fingers more than once.

"Ciel," Sebastian's voice brought him back to earth, grounding him and holding him steady. He held onto that voice, the soft tone in his ear, the steadying hand on his shoulder. "Ciel, are you all right?"

Ciel blinked and forced himself to take a deep breath. "I'm…I'm fine."

He realized that everyone was staring at him, watching. Mey-Rin, Finni, Bardroy and Pluto were watching in concern, Lau in smugness, Ran-Mau remained expressionless, and even Lau's men with the guns were watching him. He squared his shoulders. Why should such news shock him? He knew that his father was like a guardian of London's underworld – that's what he'd been in Ciel's former life, and Ciel had simply taken that in stride and taken his fathers place.

Now, though, it felt like it was something Ciel _should have_ known – _should have_ remembered. Why did Lau have to be the one to remind him? Ciel took another deep breath before raising his eyes to Lau again.

"Does that scare you, little Phantomhive?" Lau asked with that smirk of his. Ciel wanted to hit him for calling him that condescending name.

"Maybe," he said slowly, and Sebastian let go of his shoulder. "Then again, I suppose that explains a lot, too."

He straightened up and cleared his throat. "I mean, it's like everything is falling into place; I just have to accept it, don't I?"

Lau nodded. "Indeed. And after everything that I've heard is going on from your companions," he loosely gestured towards Mey-Rin, Finni and Bardroy, ignoring Pluto who was just as equally ignoring them from under the vehicle. "There's not much you'll be able to change."

"I can try. I plan to." Ciel said, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not going to let whoever did this to me get away with it. Someone somewhere has the memories that the people at the Hospital took from me. And I plan on getting them back."

Lau chuckled softly.

"Oh?" he asked, his voice holding a sing-song ring to it. "And what do you plan on do once you've reacquired these memories of yours? Swallow them to gain their knowledge and learn their secrets?"

Ciel paled a little at the thought of having to swallow brain matter. Then he realized that Lau was pulling his leg, and he grumbled in disgust. But he was still thrown by the comment, and paused a moment before replying.

"Uh-w-well, no," he managed a little indignity, and at that moment Pluto glided out from under the car to interrupt.

"You know there's really no way of extracting the memories in that bit of grey mush called a brain for you to regain them, right?" he asked, and Ciel looked down at him. "Serious. You'd have to be told by someone who witnessed everything with you or else you'd have to be able to think back to the stuff you do remember, and then piece together the rest. Fill in the blanks for yourself with whatever makes sense."

"And who knows, for it might just be the real truth," Lau nodded along. Ciel let his shoulders drop a little; he hadn't quite thought this through. Things were so much more complicated than he was used to – far too evolved. He'd been left behind in a world he thought he'd belonged in whilst everyone else moved on around him, before yanking him back to reality and basically telling him to suck up and pretend he knew what he was doing. Only Sebastian, Mey-Rin, Finni, Bard and to an extent, Pluto seemed like they were genuinely trying to understand what he was going through. Ciel felt…unlike anything he'd ever really felt before. He felt defeated.

"But I'll never know for sure, will I?" he asked, as Pluto climbed to his feet. They all looked around at each other, but before they could try to comfort Ciel, Sebastian piped up.

"Perhaps there's more merit to what Pluto said than you think," he said gently, and Ciel looked up at him, silently demanding a further explanation. "I'm no psychologist, but perhaps if you were to go over the things that you do have some grasp of memory on, it could help you."

"But you've only ever tried that a few times before, Sebastian," Bardroy said, a warning tone in his voice. Ciel guessed that there was something more to what he was saying – that the _that_ Bardroy had mentioned was something…dangerous. "And you remember what happened."

"I do," Sebastian nodded. "And I have done it since, I'll have you know, with far better results. If it can work on one of the stupor patients, maybe it'll work on Ciel."

"What will?" Ciel asked, feeling incredibly left out. Lau raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? You haven't heard of the amazing Doctor Michaelis's little therapy trick?" he asked, and Ciel shot him a questioning look. "It's a very simple concept but undeniably difficult to accomplish. Both parties must be willing to co-operate if it's to work."

"And just how did you find out about my practice?" Sebastian asked, giving Lau a deadpan stare. The Chinese man put a finger to his lips as if about tell them all a secret.

"It's only really a rumour that I've heard floating around my den; of course, anyone who knows of you has some idea of the amazing feats you're capable of. This in particular has been a murmur circulating amongst former patients of yours for months." He replied, and Sebastian sighed.

"In that case I'll either ask politely for your silence or I'll just as happily enforce it," he said, to which Lau shrugged.

"Did I say I was the one spreading such a rumour?" he asked, and Ciel groaned inwardly. This was getting them nowhere. He was about to turn back to Sebastian and demand that they hurry up and leave when Lau continued, catching all of their attention back again. "So…what exactly was it you didn't want me to tell anyone?"

Just about everyone's jaws hit the floor – Ciel, however, just rolled his eyes. He should have expected this; in fact, he was more or less just waiting for the opium smoking idiot to say such a thing.

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Pluto yawned with a stretch before turning to the others. "Hey, I got the chip out and the pipes are clear; the engine should run now and the paints pretty much dry. You guys wanna out?"

Sebastian nodded. "Probably a wise move," he said, and Lau stood aside to let them get to the vehicle.

"You should know," he said softly, reaching out to lay a hand on Ciel's shoulder. Ciel tried not to flinch at the cool hand. "That even though people might seem one way, they are really another. Not everyone is how they appear."

"You mean how you somehow manage to mask your idiocy?" Ciel countered, but Lau was suddenly very close, leaning down so he was looking Ciel in the eye.

"It goes deeper than that. Be careful who you trust, little master Phantomhive, because you're not always going to be able to rely on others to take care of things for you. When the time comes you'll have to take matters into your own hands. Trust me on this." The Chinese man said gently, sounding completely sincere. Ciel could smell something pungent on his breath; most likely the after taste of any drugs the man had been smoking. He reeled away, trying to pull from Lau's surprisingly strong grip.

"How the hell am I supposed to trust you?" Ciel snapped. "From what I do remember, you sat around in an opium den all day smoking your life away being incompetent."

Lau smiled dangerously at him. "You're not too far off the mark. But how do you think your father managed to survive if he didn't have the occasional good piece of advice every so often?"

Ciel blinked. He'd almost forgotten that Lau had said he and Vincent Phantomhive had been _business acquaintances. _Whatever that meant in this world. He swallowed the tight feeling in his throat and narrowed his eyes at Lau.

"Do you have any 'good advice' for his son?" he asked, keeping his voice low. He could hear the sounds of everyone else piling into the hatchback, Bardroy and Pluto bickering something about who got to ride shotgun. Lau's smile widened.

"I thought you'd never ask," he nodded, taking something from the depths of his kimono's sleeve and pressing it into Ciel's hand, rolling Ciel's fingers over it to keep it concealed. Whatever it was tickled Ciel's palm – he guessed that it was a feather of some kind, but weighed down by something else as well. "Now, do us a favour and stay alive."

Then, Lau straightened up just as Sebastian approached, giving Ciel a small push towards the doctor, still smiling his unfading smile. Ciel shrugged off the feel of the Chinese man's touch, finding a comforting warmth in Sebastian's hands as they caught him by the shoulders, steadying him.

"Go on, now," Lau smirked. "Run along and don't forget that life isn't all about winning or losing. Occasionally having oneself a little bit of fun can go a long way."

Ciel ignored him and turned away, heading for the car, feeling Sebastian just behind him, shielding his back from the guns of Lau's men, who were all still watching them carefully. Finni and the others didn't seem too afraid of them – perhaps a little wary, but otherwise preoccupied in talking amongst themselves. Ciel slid into the backseat next to Mey-Rin, and was then quite promptly shuffled into the middle as Pluto slid in beside him. Finnian suddenly leaned over the seat from the boot.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked softly, and Ciel nodded.

"…Yes. I'm fine." He replied.

"What did Lau say to you?" Mey-Rin asked as Bardroy climbed into the drivers seat, Sebastian getting into the front passenger seat. Ciel shrugged.

"Nothing. He was just blabbering nonsense. Nothing that makes any real sense to me." He murmured as Bardroy started the car and flicked on the headlights, illuminating the path ahead of them. At the other end of the underground garage, Ciel could see a large opening that led out and up onto the street, facing the opposite direction to the way he and Sebastian had entered.

Everyone fell quiet as they rolled out into the sunshine, Ciel still a little unused to having to wear the seatbelt that Pluto had to help clip in. When he objected at first and demanded to know why he had to wear such an odd contraption, Sebastian had told him that it was a safety measure and that he shouldn't complain, since Finnian had to hide down in the boot because there were no spare seats. Finni, however, had simply smiled and told Ciel to not worry about him. Humbled, Ciel fell silent.

The traffic wasn't too heavy, and they made good progress, although Bardroy insisted on driving terrifying close to the middle of the road, almost taking off several other cars wing mirrors. Apart from his abysmal driving, however, he managed to drive otherwise unscathed until they reached a towering set of apartment buildings that rose up on both side of the street.

Pulling over in front of a hotel that stood on the corner of one of the blocks, dwarfed in size in comparison to the other buildings around it yet still a good several storeys high, Bard finally cut the engine, and everyone began to pile out.

"Why are we here?" Ciel asked as Pluto began to pull a couple of the duffel bags from the back of the car, Finni also handing a few of them out. Sebastian stopped next to him and looked up at the hotel with a hand on his hip.

"We have a friend who owns this hotel; she's as against the workings of the Hospital as we are, but her daughter was once a patient who no one thought was going to survive. Luckily though I managed to pull her through and the girl went home safely to her family. So as a favour to us for that and also out of sympathy, we have a suite always booked just for us." He said, and Ciel blinked.

"That's not bad," he nodded, and Sebastian smirked.

"It's quite good. It's not a luxury penthouse suite or anything, but it'll house all of us so long as someone doesn't mind sleeping on the couch or the floor."

"I got dibs on the shower," Pluto interjected quickly as he and the others began to head inside, arguing and bickering amongst themselves, leaving Ciel and Sebastian standing on the sidewalk. Ciel looked up at the hotel a little dubiously – something in his gut told him that he wasn't a big fan of heights.

"Is the room high up?" he asked, and Sebastian shook his head.

"Only the third floor. There's ten floors in total, so we're fairly close to the ground. It's not ideal for an easy escape, I'll admit, but it's what we get offered and so we'll take that chance," he said, before starting forward. "Don't dawdle."

Ciel nodded, before remembering that Lau had pressed something into his hand – something that was still there. Uncurling his fingers, he looked down at what was resting in his palm. It was a small red rose made of silk ribbon, attached to what appeared to be a mini black and red peacock feather. It looked like the sort of decoration one would find on a fancy, old-fashioned hat, but he wasn't sure what it was supposed to represent, or why Lau had given it to him in the first place. Did it belong to someone he was supposed to find? Would it somehow help him to understand the past better?

Shaking himself, Ciel trotted inside after Sebastian, entering into the well-lit and nicely decorated foyer, where the others were already standing at the receptionists desk, speaking with a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and a kind look on her face. She was handing them a key and telling them something, before they thanked her and turned to Sebastian and Ciel, Pluto dangling the key in front of them.

"Here we go." He said, handing the key to Sebastian, who nodded.

"Right. Let's go."

Another wonder of the modern world that Ciel was quickly introduced to was the elevator. Electrically manned and worked on a set of cables and pulleys, everyone was crowded into the small, confined box and after the press of a button they began to head upwards, Ciel feeling a little like his stomach had been left behind when they started to ascend. It was a bit unsettling, but Finni reassured him that it was nothing to be worried about, and he'd get used to it.

The elevator stopped three floors up and the doors slid open to reveal a deserted hallway, doors marking each wall all the way down each corridor. Sebastian made a bee-line for one door in particular, easily sliding the key into the lock and swinging the door open for everyone to file in. Inside, it wasn't as grand as Ciel could have imagined, but it wasn't shabby, either. There was a small kitchenette that wasn't big enough for more than about three people, but there was a large couch and two armchairs in the living space placed around a large, reflective box that was set into the wall, and around the only wall in the room there were five freshly made beds. Ciel stood in the middle of it all as the others dumped bags everywhere, laughing and checking everything out. Finni and Mey-Rin called out when they discovered the mini-bathroom which wasn't much larger than the one in the old safe house, Pluto was unpacking a few cartons of milk into the fridge, and Bardroy was checking out the box in the wall – he called it a TV, something he could control with a remote, a sleek black handheld device that had an array of colourful buttons patterning it. Sebastian cracked open one of the windows.

"Now, just remember to not get too noisy, everyone – we don't want to attract the whole worlds attention," he said, getting replies of various levels of enthusiasm from everyone else. He sighed deeply, and Ciel stepped passed him to look out of the window.

The weather was taking a turn; instead of the sunny skies from earlier, it was overcast and grey, the warmth of the day being trapped as mugginess in the air, and if Ciel pressed his nose to the flywire and inhaled deeply, he could smell the faint scent of rain on its way.

"It'll probably pour tonight," Sebastian said softly, catching his attention, and Ciel tore his gaze away from the sight of the people of the city moving around in the streets below them.

"Will it be heavy rain?" he asked, and Sebastian nodded.

"Most likely. But heat rises, so until it cools down for the night, it'll be fairly warm up here. We can turn on the air con if you like."

"Air con?" Ciel raised an eyebrow, making Sebastian sighed and shrug.

"Air-conditioner. A machine that moves air around and cools it before blowing it back out, helping to cool an enclosed area." he replied, pointing to another box set into the wall opposite the TV – this time, the box was white and had a series of vents set into it. "That thing up there."

"Oh." Ciel said, feeling a little more than just stupid. There was far too much that he didn't know for his liking. He felt as if he'd lived his whole life where such luxuries of technology didn't exist, and getting used to this advanced, evolved new world was still hard. There were sounds from the TV as Bardroy flicked through the channels. Sighing, Sebastian left Ciel at the window and went to check on the others. Ciel dragged over one of the armchairs and settled himself by the window, resting his head in his arms as he watched the outside world.

A few hours later, Ciel found himself restless, and constantly fidgeting with his clothes or picking at the loose thread in the armchairs armrest in feeble attempts to distract himself. The others were all finding relaxation much easier – Bardroy was dozing on the couch in front of the TV, Finni sitting on the carpet by Bard's feet with a book open in his lap, Pluto was sorting out some of their luggage quietly in the corner, Mey-Rin had claimed the shower after Pluto had emerged, and Sebastian was in the kitchenette, leaning against the bench as he waited for the kettle to boil. Ciel let his eyes wander from each of them, even to the closed bathroom door, wondering what each and every one of them was thinking. He wondered how they could be so relaxed when they were still in so much danger; he finally gave up wondering and put it down to it just being how they coped with the stress. He heaved a quiet sigh, scrunched up his face, and rested his head against the edge of the window, staring gloomily out at the darkening sky and the equally darkening streets; it was close to five in the afternoon but it felt later because of the dark clouds that blotted out the sky like angry inks stains. Thunder rumbled on the distant horizon, and suddenly, the smell of tea hit his nose as footsteps approached.

Sebastian appeared at his side.

"Bored?" he asked, holding the cup out to Ciel, and Ciel looked at it dubiously.

"Yes. I thought you said no tea." He replied, but Sebastian simply smiled and handed up the steaming cup.

"I'm fairly sure that five days was more than enough to let the drugs leave your system; it was just that last twenty-four hours of you being awake that I wanted to make absolutely positive. But you don't seem to be suffering any sort of terrible side-effects, which is good." The doctor said, perching himself on the arm of Ciel's armchair, and Ciel lifted the cup to his face and took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smelling goodness.

"How many sugars?"

"Actually, it's a sweetener that's completely free of any processed sugar, which would have been the most damaging should there be any traces of the drug left inside you. Don't worry, this isn't going to be permanent," Sebastian smirked, and Ciel pulled a face before taking a small sip. It wasn't as bad as he thought it might be, apart from the fact that it was still incredibly hot.

"There's not much milk in here," he murmured, looking down at it. "I'm…not even sure it tastes like milk."

"Soy milk, which is lactose free. Just another precaution," Sebastian nodded. "Once you're more adapted to eating and drinking again, you can have the real thing."

"Oh goody," Ciel mumbled, taking another sip of the steaming tea. Sebastian noticed his bored expression and raised an eyebrow.

"Tired?"

"No."

"Very well."

Moments of silence passed between them, interrupted only by Bardroy's gentle snoring. Ciel glanced over at Pluto, who had abandoned the couple of bags he'd been going through and had thrown himself across one of the beds. Finni was still reading quietly. Ciel took another few sips of tea before setting the cup on the windowsill to cool for a while. Then, a thought hit him.

"Can I go for a walk?" he looked up at Sebastian, who looked down at him sceptically.

"Not on your own."

"Then come with me."

"Where would we go?"

"Outside, of course."

"Not happening."

"Why not?" Ciel asked, letting a tiny whine tinge his voice. He knew he was being childish, but he hoped that sort of thing would work on Sebastian. But he remembered how stalwart Sebastian had been with little Richard begging at his knees, and the hope dwindled slightly.

"Because it's not safe."

"But I'm _bored_."

"And I'm supposed to be protecting you. If something isn't safe, I will not expose you to it."

"We were outside earlier,"

"That was different."

Ciel pouted, thinking that this was almost the same as he remembered Sebastian to be; the loyal butler who had standards only he could live up to. The demon who would do his wish, but would also occasionally remind Ciel that he was just a child, something that Ciel was unappreciatively aware of.

"Please?" he tried, just one last time, not even bothering to try to make his eyes big and pleading. He didn't even look at Sebastian. He knew he didn't have the power here to order Sebastian around, so there was no point in trying.

The doctor sighed behind him, and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Fine."

Ciel whirled around so fast he nearly knocked over his tea.

"Really?"

Sebastian groaned inwardly and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache. "Just around the block. And then we're coming straight back inside; no dawdling. Go it?"

Ciel hardly cared what parameters Sebastian set; he was getting out of this place that was just too damn quiet for his liking. He could feel the silent tension that no one else seemed to be able to feel. Except maybe Sebastian, which was probably why Sebastian was being to uptight about going outside. In any case, he quickly hopped up from the armchair and slid his feet back into the boots that Mey-Rin had found for him, hurriedly tying the laces before catching up to Sebastian at the door, who paused and turned before opening it just as Mey-Rin emerged from the bathroom, a towel around her head and dressed in fresh clothes.

"We're just going for a short walk," he told her as he pulled on a long trench coat, only threading his good arm through a sleeve, his injured arm hanging inside the coat.. "I've got my phone on me; if anything happens, call."

Mey-Rin nodded. "Will do. And if you need help, call us."

Sebastian returned the nod before opening the door, letting Ciel step out into the hallway that still remained deserted. "And don't let Bardroy near the stove. I could do without having to move safe house again for a couple of days."

Mey-Rin laughed and waved them goodbye, promising to make sure that things stayed quiet in the hotel room, and Sebastian and Ciel headed for the elevator. It was far less cramped this time, but before the doors could slide closed, two more people got in – an elderly lady with a walking frame and a man in a business suit. Sebastian put himself protectively between Ciel and the two strangers, who merely gave them both odd looks before minding their own business.

When they got into the foyer, the lady behind the counter from before was gone, replaced by a much younger, Hispanic-looking young man who gave them a nod as they exited. On the street, Ciel could feel the difference in temperature, the cool breeze almost chilly in comparison to the warm interior of the hotel, and he found himself walking a little closer to Sebastian every time they were passed by a stranger.

They remained silent for the majority of the walk, moving along the sidewalks that ran around the expanse of the block of buildings, until they came to a couple of alleyways the were filled with dumpsters, trash cans, and other assorted garbage. Somehow, without knowing why, Ciel felt Sebastian tense next to him, his stride becoming tighter, more controlled – he snuck a glance at the doctor, to see his shoulders were straighter, making him seemed a little taller, and he was casting his eyes around inconspicuously. Ciel swallowed.

"What's wrong?" he murmured, hardly daring more than a whisper, and Sebastian sent a quick glance down at him.

"We're being watched." He replied softly. "Don't look around. Just keep walking."

Ciel felt a chill run through him – before, being followed by _anything_ wouldn't have bothered him in the least, because he had Sebastian there to protect him, and Sebastian had been almost literally _invincible_. Now, with the knowledge that Sebastian was not bullet-proof, stab-proof, chainsaw-proof or _death_ proof in general, Ciel could feel an unpleasant tingle up his spine at the thought of being pounced here in this seemingly deserted area.

But it only seemed that way.

"Hey, hey," a low, scratchy voice drifted to Ciel's ears, and he couldn't resist looking over his shoulder. There were two men standing not too far behind them, against a streetlamp, when they'd passed it, was standing alone, but now, there were these two, appearing as if conjured from thin air. Ciel shivered and turned around, Sebastian's hand protectively on his shoulder and pulling him closer.

"Don't respond. Just keep walking." The doctor muttered, picking up the pace a little, and Ciel stumbled occasionally to not be left behind. There were more of them now – appearing from the shadows, one slouched his way across the street from an empty bus stop. All of them were dressed poorly, like a handful of rag-tag ruffians, dirty and unshaven, and all of them had some sort of weapon on them. Ciel could see handguns peeking out of their pockets; two or three of them had switchblades in their hands. At least ten of them were gathering in a ragged circle around Sebastian and him.

"S-sebastian," he breathed, just as one of the thugs stepped in front of them, blocking Sebastian's way, causing them both to the stumble to a halt.

"Hey now," the burly man slurred, a green glass bottle hanging limply in one hand – Ciel didn't even need the foul burp of the mans breath in his face to know he was drunk. "Where'd you think you're hurryin' to?"

"We're on our way…home," Sebastian replied mildly, managing to keep his voice calm. He almost sounded pleasant. "So please excuse us."

"Nu-uh." The guy chuckled as Sebastian went to step around him, barring his way and stepping up close, sticking his face right into Sebastian's. Sebastian quickly pulled Ciel so close that his trench coat shielded Ciel from the other men; by now, Ciel was grasping onto Sebastian's shirt – terrified was only one way to describe how he felt. There was no standing tall as the Queen's guard dog here. These men didn't care. "Don't fink so, mister. You wanna go?"

"I'd much rather not," Sebastian said tersely, narrowing his eyes at the slightly swaying man. "You see –"

"Oi! _Whassis_?!" Another man had come up behind them whilst they had been preoccupied, and a large, grubby hand suddenly grasped Ciel by the arm, hauling him out from under Sebastian's arm. Ciel uttered a cry of fright and tried to pull away, but they were surrounded now, and the man who had him was laughing right in his face.

"Looky here! A baby doll!"

"Aww, he's _cute_."

Rude comments and laughter went around the gathering, and Ciel tried as hard as he could to yank free his hand, but he was terrified that if he pulled any harder against the thugs grip, his arm would pop right out of its socket.

"Ooooh, a fighter!"

"Ha-ha! Take 'im home, show 'im a good time, eh?"

The thug leered down at Ciel, and Ciel desperately glanced around for Sebastian, who was being held back by the first drunkard.

"You're preeeetty," the thug murmured, drawing Ciel close with a hand around his waist, like a dancer would embrace his partner. Ciel yelped and squirmed as best he could, but his attempts were flimsy and shaky, adrenaline pumping through his veins and the fear making him begin to wheeze. He tried to fumble for his inhaler, but it tumbled from his pocket and was crushed under foot of the thug who had him, a loud hiss and a cloud of white spraying across the concrete as the Ventolin tube popped.

"Let me go!" he cried, barely able to hold back the tears now. The thug paid him no attention, only to look up in surprise at something over the top of Ciel's head. A moment later, a pale fist connected with the guys face and he went flying back, his grip on Ciel released, and he was sent tumbling onto his butt on the concrete.

Ciel whirled to see Sebastian towering over him, his good hand still clenched in a fist, a look of murderous rage on his face.

"How dare you," the doctor growled, and Ciel could almost feel the waves of fury coming off of Sebastian. "_How_ _dare you_!"

There were yells from all around them, with the thugs all suddenly running at them at once, and before Ciel's eyes could adjust, there was a whirl of punches, flying kicks, fists connecting with flesh, the sound of bones crunching and snapping, screams of pain and spurts of blood flying as Sebastian became lost in the overhead fray of the fight. Thugs were sent tumbling to the ground, crying out in pain or stumbling back away from the mass, sending curses at Sebastian. Ciel curled into as tiny a ball as he possibly could, squirming this way and that to try and prevent being stepped on or kicked, but he found himself up against a long, slender leg – taking a daring glance up, he saw Sebastian above him, fending off a thug with one hand before swinging a knee up to catch the oaf in the stomach, and the man collapsed in a groaning pile at Ciel's feet. The sight of the blood smeared across the mans face, the sight of the mans nose which looked rather distinctly broken, made Ciel so queasy he felt sick to the stomach, and he buried his face in his arms, hugging his knees to his chest as hard as he could to become as small as possible, until the sound of the fighting overhead stopped, and he dared to look up again.

Sebastian was the only one left standing, but he was panting from exhaustion and every fibre of his being seemed to be trembling with the exertion. Blood ran down his face and stained his clothes in patches and smears – he wasn't without injury, even if he had won. Ciel gazed up at this god of a man, eyes wide. Sebastian's eyes were half lidded, unfocussed – he was staring blankly at Ciel, as if not really seeing him.

"Se…Sebastian…?" Ciel whispered, gasping for breath himself, and Sebastian's eyes flickered, as if registering that Ciel was actually kneeling in front of him. Then, the doctor collapsed to his knees, reaching out a trembling hand for Ciel, before falling forward, his eyes fluttering closed, and Ciel cried out as he caught Sebastian in the chest, struggling to support the mans weight. "Sebastian!"

"Are…y-you…" Sebastian's voice was a shuddering whisper, but Ciel held on to him tightly, not daring to let go. "O-ok…okay…?"

"I'm – I'm fine, Sebastian – hang on. You can't die on me!" Ciel cried, the tears welling up in his eyes again, the feeling of panic rising in his throat. "We have to get back! To the others! Don't die, _please_!"

Sebastian groaned something unintelligible, and Ciel had to put every ounce of effort into standing, still supporting Sebastian's limp form on his tiny body. Walking took determination, dragging Sebastian along over his shoulder, but after a few steps, Sebastian seemed to be roused from his daze, and he managed to gather his feet underneath him, stepping slowly and shakily, still relying heavily on Ciel, but managing to take some of the weight off of him. Soon, they were out of the alleyway and away from the scene of the fight, leaving in their wake the unconscious bodies of their attackers, and a dripping trail of blood from Sebastian – blood dripped from his face and down his arm that was haphazardly slung over Ciel's shoulder as he dragged him, and every so often, Sebastian would gather the energy to cough up and spit out a mouthful of blood, saliva stained red trailing from his lips.

Out on the street, traffic had thinned quite a bit – but Ciel could see more pedestrians than before; the thought of having to walk through them, amongst them, vulnerable with Sebastian seemingly half-dead over his shoulder – he could feel a wheeze building up on his chest and beginning to squeeze his lungs for air. The air was so thick – heavy drops of rain were beginning to fall. Slowly at first, splatting occasionally on the back of Ciel's neck, on him, on Sebastian – on the pavement around him.

Gasping for breath, he collapsed to his knees, Sebastian moaning and crumpling to the concrete, catching Ciel on the way down and causing Ciel to fall forwards. There was a sharp crack as Ciel's head connected with the sidewalk, and he saw fireworks explode behind his eyes. His limbs were so weak, that now he was laying down, he couldn't muster the energy to get back up – he couldn't even shove Sebastian off of him. In a daze, he just lay there, staring at nothing, wondering, vaguely, if Sebastian was going to die.

If _he_ was going to die.

He could hear people yelling – a woman, somewhere, screamed. There were footsteps coming closer. A pair of shoes came running across the road and their owner squatted down beside Ciel, a large, cool hand brushing some of the hair from his eyes.

"Hey, can you hear me, kid?" a voice said, but it sounded distant, echo-y and far off. More people were appearing around them.

"Oh my God!"

"What happened to them?!"

"Get an ambulance!" the man who'd knelt in front of Ciel was yelling. "Someone call the hospital! These two need serious help!"

"Nnn…." Ciel murmured. There was one clear thought that pierced his slow, sluggish mind. "N-no…no hosp'tl…"

The hand was back, gently patting Ciel on the shoulder. "It's okay now, kid – you're gonna be okay. There's an ambulance coming. Can you hear me? Blink for yes."

Ciel let out a groan in objection, his lips too tired to consider moving, but his inadvertently managed a blink. There was a sigh from the man next to him.

"That's good, kid, good. Okay, just hang on for a bit – you're gonna be just fine. No need to worry at all."

The reassuring words were slowly becoming more and more slurred to Ciel's ears – he knew he was slowly passing out, but he struggled to stay awake. He had to get up – he just had to. He couldn't let them take Sebastian and him back to the Hospital. He didn't want to go back there. They'd shot Sebastian. They were bad people –

A wailing siren began to sound in the distance, sounding even more muffled as the now driving rain fell harder around them. Someone held an umbrella over the two of them – Sebastian unconscious, maybe dead – next to him, and Ciel could hear the explosive pats of rain on the umbrella overhead.

It was in those last moments that he managed to keep his eyes open that he saw a few men in green clothes jogging towards them, equipment carried between them, and he knew it was over. This was it. He was going to be taken back and experimented on again. Sebastian wasn't able to protect him anymore.

As Ciel finally let his eyes fall shut, there was only one thought that made it through his head:

_I'm going to die._

**-:-**

* * *

**_AfterNote:_**

So there you have it. An extra long chapter for you all because you waited so patiently for it – I'm real sorry I haven't gotten back to you all yet; as soon as we get our internet back I promise to be far more regular with my updates. Like I said, this was supposed to be up like, two days ago =_=.

ANYHOW. How did you like them apples? Sebastian's wounded, possibly dead, and Ciel's just passed out cold in the middle of the street. I'm such a terrible person for torturing them so! But I kind of needed a better plot than "they thought of someone else to go and annoy so yeah they just kinda went". Even though I kinda suck at writing fights scenes.

**HEEEY**~ everyone's favourite little puppet will be introduced soon! Who's excited~? Go on, skedaddle on down the page and leave a review telling me just how much you hate me for that cliffhanger, leaving Sebastian teetering on the brink of death and Ciel in the hands of a quite probable terrible fate! I love you for it, you must know! Go! It is your mission, should you choose to accept it!

_- Mercy_


	10. Chapter Nine

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

I learnt a lot about brains recently. So much, in fact, that I'm going to have to alter the story a little. BUT IT'S OKAY. Don't fret, I've got it all figured out.

For example (*SPOILER_SPOILERSPOILER*) and then of course there's the cliff-hanger that I left you all on last time. Wasn't that mean of me? And I've made you all wait so long for an update. I'm a terrible person I know, but fear not lovely people, because chapter ten is already well underway and almost completely :D

Hang in there!

**ALSO!** BIIIIG shout out to **Call Me Alois** and **Coiusk **who get 10 beautiful glory points and a high five *HIGHFIVE!* for both guessing who's character song I added into the last chapter's before note. It was indeed the song _Shinkou_by Jun Fukuyama (a.k.a., Grell Sutcliff for any layman that may have wandered in here this evening)

This chapter, because you're all so cool and great and I'm so good at flattery, sees the return of our favourite death lovin' reaper! Read on, guys!

_- Mercy_

…

_I wish I could write all of Grell's lines in italics, because it suits his character to be giving lilts and exaggerations to everything he says. Just a thought._

* * *

**Chapter Nine:** Two Halves Of The Ripper

-:-

He had thought that death would be a little bit more dramatic, honestly. He'd thought he'd died, once – plummeting off the cliff, drowning in that ocean, the feeling of a demons clawed hand plunging through his body. That's what he imagined death to feel like. Cold and cruel. Dark, fading away to nothingness, til his bones found rest in the darkest of depths in the sand at the bottom of the sea. Sand that hadn't seen light in years, sand that would move with the black waters, the oceans current, slowly washing away the flesh that would be eaten by fish and crabs and other sea-dwelling bottom feeders until there was nothing but shards of his bones left, fragments broken by the jagged rocks that snagged algae and seaweed on their sharp, dangerous edges.

He would have been forgotten.

However, Ciel didn't expect death to feel so…light. Like his head was spinning, his mind vaguely grasping for something to hold, something…solid. He was lying flat, in a bed of white nothingness, the opposite of the darkness that he'd expected. And craved, too – the whiteness all around him was blinding – he almost wished that, if this truly was death, that at least he wouldn't have to put up with such light making his eyes sore.

"…shall I close the curtains for him then?" the voice was wholesome, motherly – female. A woman, with a tender yet firm tone to her words.

Ciel tried to move his lips, to beckon her to somehow shut out the light, but he was immobile, every nerve ending feeling as though it was muffled, unable to feel or do anything. A deep voice of a man that he felt he should recognise answered before he could.

"If you wouldn't mind. Then you can get back to butchering my arm." There was pain in his voice, and the woman tutted in response.

"Honestly. If you'd come here first this wouldn't be happening." Ciel heard the sound of curtains being pulled shut, the rustling of the fabric, and the area of white around him dimmed. He couldn't even open his eyes, but the light beyond his lids darkened a bit. It then occurred to him that this wasn't death at all. This was…

…what was this? His breathing was rhythmic, even. His heartbeat was steady – measured somewhere above his head by a set of beeps. Somehow, that seemed disturbingly familiar as well. Like a dream he'd not been able to remember properly, but every so often he'd catch snatches of it. The beeps were those snatches of memory – never quite waking in the night long enough to think over the dream before rolling over and going back to sleep. The voices had gone quiet for a moment, but now, the man grunted in pain.

"_Ouch_."

"Stop squirming, and it'll be easier for the both of us."

"You stop waving that scalpel around, and I'll consider it."

"Bastard," she snapped.

"Bitch." The word bit back at her like a dog snapping at a stranger. Ciel felt the harshness of the words fall away, and the tension that he could almost smell in the air lessened a little.

Their voices were far clearer now. It was as if Ciel had been underwater, submerged in a pool and he was slowly rising, breaking the surface to hear everything around him. And with that emergence, the dimmed whiteness faded completely, melting into shapes and objects just beyond his vision. Beyond the shapes, the voice continued quietly, unknowing of his awareness. His eyes cracked open, and he found himself staring at a white plaster ceiling, lying on a very uncomfortable bed. His fingers trailed at his sides, finding crisp white sheets beneath them. Not daring to move yet, in case for some reason his body suddenly cracked and fell apart, he let his eyes wander. They saw a cabinet in the wall above his head, some sort of machine on a stand under neath the cabinet standing behind his bed, another machine with a cord leading from the side of it all the way down, across the bed frame and latched onto a band that was wrapped around his upper arm. His head lolled to the other side of the bed, and he saw a stand with a pack of liquid hanging from it, another tube trailing from the bottom of the sack down to his arm, where there was a large needle inserted into the crease of his elbow, taped down so that it wouldn't come loose. All around his bed was a large white curtain on a railing high above his head surrounding him, cutting him off from the rest of the world.

Ciel stared at it blankly for a moment, but suddenly, something snapped in his mind. He suddenly saw shadows of men towering over him, their faces lost in shadow with the bright lights above them, his wrists and ankles strapped to each end of the bed frame, and the men leaned down towards him, large epidermic needles poised to jab.

The vision disappeared as quickly as it had come, but it was enough – he suddenly knew where he was, with a dreaded, sickening jolt.

He was in the Hospital.

_The_ Hospital.

Sense gripped him for long enough before panic kicked in for him to reach over and grip the needle, yanking it haphazardly from his arm. He stifled a cry of pain as an ache ran up his arm and his trembling fingers accidentally pricked the tip of the needle on the swelling, aching flesh of his arm, and as the beeping monitor machine began to beep faster Ciel made a mad grab for the arm wrap on his other arm, and yanked the Velcro off, the beeping dying the instant his arm was free, and he jerked his body upright, ready to slide off the bed and run.

And then, there was a moment of silence, and he held his breath as he tried to listen for the voices, to hear if there was any movement from beyond the curtain. The only thing he heard was the sound of several other beeping machines, and the sound of the voices a little way off. Standing carefully, Ciel let his toes touch the linoleum floor, testing the weight on his feet to make sure he wouldn't fall, before taking cautious steps to the curtain, drawing it back just enough so that he could look out from around it.

He saw a large, spacious room stretching away from him, and there were rows of the same hospital beds lined up against each wall. Some of them had similar curtains drawn around them, and he saw a few men and women in long white coats moving around, some of them talking to other people dressed plainly, and there was a large counter set into the wall at the other end of the room, with a few nurses milling around behind it.

It didn't seem like the sort of place that was designed for undercover experimentation, but that didn't mean this wasn't a public ward. An emergency room. A place where they might keep him in plain sight before taking him away again. Glancing around, Ciel's pounding heart dropped when he saw the only door that could lead to a way out that wasn't a walk-in cupboard was at the other end of the room, right next to the nurses station.

Forcing himself to take several deep breaths, Ciel ducked back behind the curtain as someone walked by, completely oblivious to him, and he looked down at himself. He was dressed in what looked like a nightie, but was too clean and antiseptic smelling. He took a guess that it was some sort of hospital gown. He looked around for his own clothes, finally finding them chucked into a trash receptacle next to his bed. Pulling out his shirt, he grimaced at the sight of it – it was still sodden from the rain, and it was completely shredded; someone had obviously had to cut it off of his body. He let it crumple into a heap back into the bin, and wiled himself to go back to the curtain, focussing on the voices.

"…honestly, stop struggling!" the woman was saying, and there was a hiss from the man.

"Well if you're quite finished trying to _dissect_ me – " he replied, sounding pained, and it suddenly dawned on Ciel's panicked mind who it was. Sebastian. Sebastian was here. And –

"It'll be over soon – hey, just remember _who's_ got the scalpel here!" Chided the woman.

_He was in trouble._

Their voices weren't far – only one or two of the beds over, behind one of the areas where the curtains were drawn, and Ciel quickly looked around for some sort of weapon. Sebastian was unable to act on his own. Was he drugged? Tied down? A gleaming silver tray on a trolley had an array of polished, slender silver tools on it, and Ciel spied a rather sharp scalpel on it. Grabbing it up, he held the sharp end away from him and took a peek around the curtain. The area was now fairly deserted save for the nurses at the other end and the occasional doctor who passed by them. All the other people seemed to have disappeared behind the curtains or through the door. Ciel took a deep breath before ducking over to the curtain where he could hear Sebastian and the woman talking, their voices hushed but clear enough for him to have heard. Padding as silently as he could, Ciel reached the edge of the curtain and paused. He didn't know where they were on the other side – he would just have to take that chance. As soon as he saw Sebastian, he would put himself between his doctor and the woman, whoever she was, and even if he had to drag Sebastian out, then that's what he'd do. He didn't know how far he'd get, or if they'd get anywhere at all, but he had to try. He didn't know what else to do. And he couldn't try to escape without Sebastian.

_Not after everything he's done._

"God_damn_ that hurts," Sebastian hissed, and Ciel threw himself forward, throwing back the curtain and brandishing the scalpel wildly before he had enough sense to change his mind.

"Sebastian!" he cried, catching sight of a flash of red, but his vision blurry as his eyes darted around for Sebastian. He saw the doctor sitting upright in a chair behind the bed, the woman standing behind him, a long white coat adorning her body and a white face mask obscuring her face, her hair bundled up under a white cap to keep it out of her eyes. They both looked up in surprise as he nearly tripped over himself, but he managed to gather his wits enough to throw himself at the woman, and she cried out and dodged his wild swing with the scalpel. Sebastian was yelling and Ciel was hollering some sort of deranged battle cry as he swiped at the woman again and again, allowing his pent up rage that she had been _hurting_ Sebastian and mostly likely about to _experiment_ on him to guide his hand. The woman threw up her hands to protect herself, and one of Ciel's mad swings caught her across the palm of her hand, the scalpel's blade slicing her skin open cleanly, and blood spurted from the wound, splattering Ciel across the face. The woman gasped in shock and pain, stumbling back further and clasping her hand to her chest, smearing blood across her white coat. Ciel took advantage of her vulnerability and made for the final swing, the stab that would kill the woman, when suddenly, his hand was stopped mid-air.

By another hand. And suddenly, the rage quieted.

"Now, _now_, that's truly _no way _to thank a lady for her hospitality," growled a low voice in his ear, and in-between his gasps for breath Ciel vaguely managed to focus on the voice, the owner of the hand that had stopped his. He slowly looked back over his shoulder, to be met face to face with the smiling, shark-like grin of a man in a long dark coat with long, light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. There were a pair of large, round glasses perched on his nose, and his grinning green eyes were locked on Ciel's.

"G-Grell…?"

Somewhere beyond Grell's fine features Ciel saw Sebastian's shocked face, his wide crimson eyes fixed on the three of them. The woman in front of Ciel was gasping in shock, blood running down her wrist and dripping to the floor.

Grell straightened up, but he gave Ciel's wrist a squeeze, and the scalpel fell from Ciel's grasp, clattering harmlessly across the lino, splattering a small streak of blood from the blade. Ciel yanked his hand back.

"What're you doing here? Especially looking like _that_?" he spat, and Grell smirked down at him.

"I'm doing my job, kid – and what _you're_ doing here waving a blade you've got no idea how to use and attacking an unarmed woman like that is most definitely not the sort of behaviour you'd want to see go on a permanent record." Grell said, and they both looked up at the woman. "I'm dreadfully sorry about the brat, Madame."

The woman sighed, her shoulders visibly falling as she held her hand up above her heart to help slow the flow of blood.

"It's…all right," she murmured from behind her mask, her eyes still frightened, but the fear was controlled. She knew she wasn't at risk any more.

"No it's not," Ciel growled, taking a few steps back passed Grell and heading to Sebastian's side. "I won't let you hurt him any more."

Grell burst into laughter as he took the woman's hand in his own to inspect the cut, and Sebastian reached up from the chair and put a hand on Ciel's arm. Ciel looked down to see that Sebastian was actually in a wheelchair, and his eyes widened with surprise.

"She wasn't hurting me, Ciel – she was _patching me up_," Sebastian said firmly, extending his other arm slowly and painfully to show Ciel the fresh bandage wrapped around his wounded shoulder. "See?"

"B-but then…how…" Ciel murmured, before remembering their surroundings. "But we're – we're in the Hospital! Why are you being so calm about this?!"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at Ciel.

"Because this isn't the Hospital we have to be worried about. Don't worry, I had the same thought when I first woke up, but it's all right. We're in the London Metropolitan Hospital – and when we were brought in by the ambulance here to the emergency room, the doctor on call happened to be this woman here." He nodded at the woman, who Grell had helped to bind the laceration on her palm with a bandage from a nearby stand. "She's not one of them. And…well, I honestly didn't realize that that's Grell. But I'd assume he's here on Dispatch Business, which I've no control over."

"But I'll be damned if I let slip that the ghost of the Phantomhive boy was seen at the Metro Hospital along with his guardian to my superiors," Grell huffed, flipping his long brown ponytail before sending Sebastian a flirty smile. "And Bassy, _darling_ – I'm wounded that you wouldn't recognize me! Then again," he paused and looked down at Ciel. "How _did_ you recognize me?"

Ciel had a flashback of Grell pretending to be his aunt Madame Red's fumblingly stupid butler, and shook his head. "Call it a hunch."

Sebastian scooted his wheelchair forward a little. "You see, Ciel? You're safe here, and you can trust me on that. I wouldn't be so calm if this were the Hospital itself. And I certainly wouldn't have left your side."

"And _I _certainly wouldn't allow any of the low life scum that walks those halls to pass through here," the woman stepped forward, her uninjured hand pulling the white cap from her head and allowing long locks of red hair to spill from beneath, her straight hair falling in bangs down to just below her shoulders. Ciel turned to her, and suddenly realized who he was looking at as she pulled off the facemask.

"Madame…Madame Red?"

His aunt smiled down at him, her eyes holding no anger, no fear any more. As if she didn't care that he'd just attacked her mere moments ago, drawing blood and injuring her.

"Hello darling," she said quietly, and she held out her uninjured hand, waiting for him to accept it. A little unsteady, shocked by the fact that it was her of all people, Ciel took a hesitant step towards her, reaching out his fingers for hers. The moment their skin touched, he almost fell into her waiting arms, and he found tears gathering in his eyes. Her blood from smearing on his face, from both her bloodied clothes and the blood that was already on his face, but he didn't care, no matter how much the irony tang stung his nose. He screwed his eyes shut and held onto her, inhaling the smell of her white doctors coat, the perfume on her wrists, the scent of her shampoo. The smell of his aunt seemed just like he remembered it to be, back when he thought he'd been living in the eighteen hundreds – strong, steady…beautiful. He recognized the scent of her perfume, too; _spider lilies_. Mixed with a heady scent of vanilla and something else.

"Aww," he could hear Grell saying. "Isn't this the most beautiful reunion, Bassy my dear?"

"Of course," Sebastian said, and Ciel smiled a little as he heard a tinge of sarcasm in Sebastian's voice. "If you're into blood and blades between aunt and nephew."

Ciel finally stepped away from Angelina Dalles and cleared his throat. Suddenly feeling embarrassment flush his cheeks.

"Forgive me," he whispered. "I – I didn't mean to hurt you."

Madame Red just smiled down at him. "It's all right. I forgive you, sweetheart. You were acting on instinct because you didn't know who to trust. It's understandable. Sebastian had a go at me too, when he first woke up."

Sebastian coughed self-consciously. "Yes, well. It's not often you wake up in a place so similar to hell only to find that it's not." He muttered, and Grell chuckled.

"You certainly wouldn't find me in a place like that – no sir," he nodded. "Completely out of my league – I leave that sort of hard work to William."

"William?" Ciel repeated, turning to Grell. "As in, William T Spears?"

Grell raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeees, and just _how_ do you know about my boss, might I enquire?"

Ciel smirked with a shrug. "Another hunch."

Madame Red put her hands on his shoulders, and Ciel looked up at her. "We should get that blood cleaned up, dear – before it dries,"

Ciel touched a finger to his face, the digit coming away wet with slowly congealing blood, and he allowed her to guide him over to the hospital bed beside Sebastian, and he shimmied up onto it as she got a few cotton swabs and dabbed them in a basin of warm water from a faucet that was set into the wall. She knelt in front of him and gently swabbed at his face, wiping his cheeks clean of her blood. He calm aura was almost intoxicating – and strangely, Ciel felt that because Sebastian was there, because there was _one of his family there_, he didn't have a thing to worry about. Then, a thought struck him.

"A-Angelina?" he murmured, and her eyes flicked up to look into his. "Are you…my real aunt?"

She blinked for a moment, and then comprehension seemed to dawn on her face.

"Oh, of course. Sebastian did explain the situation to me. And yes, dear – I am your mother's sister," she smiled, before letting the smile fade, and her head dropped. "And…and I'm…"

She trailed off, and Ciel waited. He noticed that Sebastian and Grell were watching her carefully, Grell even reaching out to give her shoulder a gentle pat.

"Easy," he said softly, and Ciel realized that Madame Red's shoulders were trembling, and she was biting her lip. When she looked up at him next, there were tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'm…I'm the one w-who allowed you to be sent…there…" she whispered unevenly, and Ciel knew immediately that she meant to the Hospital. The bad one. His eyes widened a fraction.

"But why?"

She looked up, a tear streaking down her shame. "I didn't mean to. I wanted the best possible treatment for you – here at the Metro you wouldn't have had the very best. All I wanted was to put your parents at ease; I recommended that they take you there. To the prestigious children's hospital. I didn't know something this awful would happen."

Madame Red reached up and gently stroked Ciel's now clean face, her fingers warm and slightly damp, and a small, choked smile touched her lips. "I'm sorry."

Ciel felt a little awkward, being reunited with a family member that he'd once thought an enemy, a family member who all he remembered of was how she died, tragically, in an alley way, killed by the hands of none other than the man standing by her now, his green eyes almost caring as he watched her solemnly, without a trace of his usual flirty nature. Sebastian watched them quietly, before Madame Red turned to him.

"Thank you, doctor," she smiled tearfully at him, clasping Ciel's hands in her own, not even caring if her injured hand hurt. "Thank you for looking after him and protecting him for all this time."

Sebastian nodded and returned the smile with a gentle smirk of his own. "I've told you, you're most welcome. He remained my top priority every single day; even when things seemed to turn for the worst."

Madame Red's smile spread gratefully, and she got to her feet, letting go of Ciel's hands, letting them rest back in his lap. "Well. While you've been off playing dead the rest of society was in quite the uproar. Not only was your reputation ruined, Doctor Michaelis, but so was my beloved sisters and her husbands. I don't know why but no one seemed to blame me for what I did."

"It wasn't your fault," Sebastian said. "And there's no point in dwelling on it if no one noticed – calling such attention to yourself, especially now when no doubt news has gotten out about some sort of fiasco going down at the Hospital, would only bring them down on you. If they think you know anything, you will be silenced."

"If not by the Hospital," Grell added. "Then by the Dispatch. Which is why I'm here."

"Why's that?" Ciel piped up, determined to not be left out of the conversation. Madame Red busied herself by going back to tending to Sebastian's wounds, and Ciel saw several new cuts and scrapes marring his bare chest, no doubt from the fight. Grell's usual smirk returned as he looked down at Ciel.

"Because a little birdy had a bad dream the other night. Wouldn't stop on about some sort of accident – he mentioned your names and the fact you'd be here. So I was sent to investigate, just on the off chance that there was any merit to his deluded ramblings." He replied, and Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

Grell shook his head. "Just a nut case we've got down at the Dispatch. Had him since about a year ago – he's completely off his rocker, but he seems to occasionally have moments of clarity about the whole incident with the Hospital three and a half years ago. That's really the only reason he's still in our custody. That and he'd be locked up in an asylum if we didn't have him."

"You're keeping a sick man just because he's an asset for your ongoing investigation?" Sebastian frowned, before wincing as Madame Red returned to stitching the gasp of the bullet wound in his shoulder. "_Ow_." He added pointedly.

Madame Red mumbled her apology, sounding as if she didn't really mean it because of her concentration on the task at hand. Grell threw back his head and laughed.

"He's got nowhere else to go, Bassy – and besides, he's happy enough. Gets a couple of hours a day to go and smell the roses, but rather spends most of his time reading or banging his head against a wall." He chuckled, but then, he paused. "Of course, I assume that's what he does in that cell."

"You keep him in a _cell_?" Sebastian questioned.

"It's nice and padded."

"It's _cruel_."

"He's a raving delusional idiot." Grell said pointedly. "If we let him go he wouldn't know how to merge back into society. He's been out of the social loop for too long already – he'd need a constant guide. Everyone would call him nuts. He's got this thing about talking to himself."

Grell pulled a face, as if thinking over a memory of such an occasion. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Grell, and Ciel figured that it was probably best that the doctor was confined to a wheelchair at that moment, because it looked as though Sebastian wanted nothing more than to strangle the agent.

"What's wrong with him?" Ciel asked quietly, and Grell sighed and shook his head.

"Nothing, really. I mean, the guy got so traumatized by things he saw and heard that he went pretty mad, but he's not a menace to anyone but himself. We hold onto him because he's a bit of a clairvoyant, see. Used to be a therapist, known for having some sort of weird hypnotic technique. We have to keep him confined because he tried it on a couple of our agents once and nearly killed them. Went like, looking around inside their heads or something," Grell shuddered at the memory. "Both of them ended up in the intensive care unit for a week."

"What did he do to them?" Madame Red asked, her eyes wide as she looked up from behind Sebastian's shoulder, which was bare and covered in splatters of blood. She had a needle and stitching thread in hand, the end of the thread leading up from Sebastian's shoulder. The dark haired doctor winced a little as she tugged the stitches taut. Grell shrugged.

"Don't know all the details myself, but I learnt my lesson to keep out of his way. Apparently he's got some sort of way to make you see things, things you've forgotten, like traumatic childhood memories or something, and neither of them could hack it. They both tried to commit suicide – luckily, though, neither succeeded." He replied, and Ciel felt something flutter through his mind – the faintest of ideas. "Both got transferred away from his ward area after that. They got taken out of field work and given desk jobs, the strain from the whole ordeal was so bad."

"Wait," Ciel said quickly. "Go back a moment – you said something about a hypnotic technique that can make you see things?"

"_Yeeah_, what's on your mind, kid?" Grell asked, sounding suspicious. "Don't get any funky ideas now."

Ciel took a quick glance at Sebastian, who was watching him carefully. The doctors' eyes betrayed no sign of emotion, and, taking that as a cue to continue, Ciel cleared his throat.

"I…I have a piece of my brain missing," he said slowly, and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Madame Reds' eyebrows raised a fraction. "And they took away some of my memories. Is there possibly someway he could help me to remember them if we obtained that brain matter?"

Grell's expression was one of curious disgust. "That's…a pretty twisted idea, kid. I don't see why it wouldn't work though. I mean, replacing brain matter shouldn't be too hard if you know the right people – "

"It can't be done."

They all turned to look at Madame Red, who had finished stitching and was using a set of medical scissors to cut the end of the stitches before straightening up and looking each one of them in the eye.

"Why not?" Grell asked with a shrug. "I mean – I'm no doctor or anything. But I don't see a problem with it."

"You're an idiot," Madame Red said with a smirk, and Grell looked taken aback. "You can't replace brain matter. Brain tissue can't regrow, and it's tissue can't be grafted or replaced. You can't even extract certain parts of the brain without permanently damaging the patient. You'd turn them into a vegetable. Their motor functions would be affected, and they may end up paralysed or without the ability to speak, read, write – it would be such a dicey operation that you'd be lucky if the patient survived at all."

Sebastian turned his head as best he could to look up at her. "Then how do you explain the scar on the back of Ciel's head?"

Ciel's hand went instinctively to his hair, finding the raised scar tissue among the silky slate strands, and he felt his stomach do a quick flip. Madame Red washed her hands under the faucet, before drying them and going over to where Ciel sat on the edge of the bed. She gave him a small, reassuring smile as she reached up around his head to feel for the scar herself. A moment later, she drew back.

"I'm not certain, but I think I can explain that." She said, and Ciel looked up at his aunt. "I'd have to do an MRI on him to be sure, but I think you'll find that this isn't a scar from an operation to remove brain matter at all."

"What's an MRI?" Ciel asked, and Madame Red gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"It's a scan using a machine that will show us what your brain looks like. Basically, it shows us what the inside of your head looks like – it lets us see if there's any abnormalities with your brain, if there's anything wrong, like for instance, if you have a tumour – it can tell us if it's malignant or benign." She replied, before turning back to Sebastian. "Both of you will need at least a day or so to recuperate – I'll have word sent to your safe house to let the others of your little family know what's going on; there's no doubt that they're worried sick by now. But in that time you're still here, I'd like to have an MRI of Ciel's brain, if you'd like the full explanation to my theory."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not comfortable with being in a public facility where just anyone might catch a glimpse of either of us," he answered, casting a look at Ciel. Angeline shook her head.

"I'll have a private room prepared for you – en suite and all, barely a ward away from my personal office. If you like, I'll even ask if Pluto would come and keep guard for you." She said, and Ciel looked up at her.

"You know Pluto?"

"Of course," she smiled. "I know all of your medical team; we have a sort of a network figured out amongst those of us who are against the Hospital. We like to keep it mostly a secret from prying eyes such as the Dispatch," she flicked a look at Grell, who grinned slyly. "But Grell's an exception because of his loyalty to Sebastian."

"And vice versa, right Bassy?" Grell winked at Sebastian, who rolled his eyes and ignored to comment, instead looking to Madame Red.

"Fine. Ask Bard if he'll rotate with Pluto. And only a week, Angeline." He said firmly, and the redheaded doctor nodded curtly.

"You have my word you'll be safe here," she said, and Ciel had a slight sinking feeling; he wasn't sure about that. He didn't know if he could trust Angeline, regardless if she was his aunt or not. Would she be able to contact his parents somehow? Was she really loyal to her word or would she turn on them?

He supposed, as Grell sauntered over to Sebastian, leant down and gave him a Judas Kiss before waving goodbye and taking his leave, and as Sebastian wheeled over to him, he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He would just have to wait and see.

**-:-**

The day passed by his cell without much activity. There was the occasional change of guard, but nothing unusual. He was so incredibly bored. He may as well have been made out of wood – sitting there, staring out the window without anything to do. Too lethargic from that last tranquilizer to move. He'd had another nightmare again. It was worse this time; too much blood and too much death – he'd woken up screaming and the guards had come in. They'd tazered him and they'd tranquilized him until he was so deeply drugged that he couldn't even raised his hand to scratch his ear. It itched, as if there was a bug crawling on it.

He wasn't sure whether or not he cared enough about it to complain. Maybe he'd complain just because there was nothing better to do. Maybe they'd give him back that damn music box just to shut his whining mouth up. Some of the strings inside the box were broken, and whenever he played it now there would be the occasional sad little twang from the snapped wire string against the others. It was a discordant sound, like a badly tuned piano. It made him sad because he had no way of fixing it – fixing things was what he did best.

He used to fix peoples heads, too – until they fixed him. Fixed him up _good_. Made his ears hurt with loud ringing noises and made his eyes blind with big, flashy lights. His teeth still ached from grinding them at night whenever he managed to find sleep. He often wondered to himself why they hadn't given him a straightjacket to stop him from hurting himself. But they never did.

_Menace only to himself._

What did those words mean? He wondered about it lazily as he gazed out of the small window, between the bars and up at the twilight night sky. There were stars out now. Did stars ever menace? Was there anyone afraid of stars? Did they scare themselves?

As the last rays of light faded and the evening breeze brought a chill to the air in his cell, he found himself unable to stay sitting upright, and he titled over, falling against the padding of his wall, still gazing out the window. Even blinking had turned into quite the chore. He was a little scared to sleep tonight. He didn't want to see any more visions – they only started after he got fixed by them. They'd done something to his head. Something bad.

_He didn't know how to work properly anymore._

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

Is it really worth asking if anyone wants to guess which nut-shell I've just brought in? does he NEED an intro? Well, review and tell me how much you're lovin' the new year already, and soon, chapter ten shall grace your internet web browsing….things….O_O

_- Mercy_


	11. Chapter Ten

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

I'll share a personal little thought with you all.

It's not any of your faults for this; really, it's just something that I feel. It's discouragement. I try as hard as I possibly can to keep the characters of this story (and others) as close to their original personas. It's not just with this story, it's happened in some of my other fics as well – I've had PM's from people, not reviews, telling me how much of a great job I'm doing, and quote, "even if the characters _are_ OOC", then explain in explicit detail how my writing is wrong. And that discourages me.

I mean, for God's sake, it's a freaking _fanfiction_. No need to get so analytical about every single detail. What you might call "criticism" is to many other people I've talked to, along with myself, considered to be over-analyzation and completely unnecessary.

It makes me feel like I'm not doing a good enough job. And it also ticks me off, just a little, because these people are being high and mighty enough to list all the things I'm "not doing right". There's no need to pad it, guys, sheesh – just hand me my ass on a silver platter, thanks.

So just as a note, in the future, if any of you feel like writing me an essay on how the characters have the occasional outburst of out of characterness, then please take it and shove it down your throat. And eat it. And swallow it. And get ink poisoning. I had ink poisoning once, and it didn't hurt half as bad as the way I feel at the moment as I present this chapter.

I hope it's up to your fucking standards.

_- Mercy_

…

_I'm sorry to my faithful readers and reviewers – your words are always kind and you are the reason that this story is being continued. I don't mind criticism, it's all good, just don't go over the top, okay? I'll admit that in the last chapter Ciel and Sebastian weren't exactly…normal, but you wouldn't be either if you thought you were about to experimented on again, would you?_

_By the way – I discovered the coolest of showers on my trip to the hospital recently. They've got these full-height curtains, but the curtains are on an adjustable rail that you can set up or down as you want; it's something to do with like, if you're handicapped or something, it lets nurses reach of the curtain to help you wash or something. It's actually that friggin' cool. So you guys get a shower scene in this chapter. NOT YAOI, MMKAY? IT'S COMPLETELY LEGIT._

* * *

**Chapter Ten:** His Butler, However You Like It

-:-

Steam rose in large, wispy clouds as the heat from the showerhead cascaded over Ciel's bruised and tired little body. He'd been here in the London Metro Hospital for a little over a day now – most of that time he'd been unconscious before waking and being reunited with his aunt Angeline. Now that the evening had fallen, rain still pounding on the roof outside, Ciel had disappeared into the en suite bathroom that was joined onto the private ward that Madame Red had had prepared for him and Sebastian while they recuperated. Because, in her words, "she would not see them leave this place until the bruises on Ciel's back had disappeared". She had scheduled an MRI appointment for Ciel, keeping him under a fake name as to not rouse the suspicion of the other doctors. The appointment was tomorrow morning at eight thirty.

It was only slightly embarrassing for Ciel to come to the realization, when he'd stepped into the bathroom, that he'd completely forgotten how to bathe himself. For as long as he could remember, Sebastian had done that as another one of his chores as Ciel's butler. But that wasn't the case anymore. He hadn't spoken a word about it to anyone, especially not Sebastian. Looking weak at a time like this would not serve in his best interests, he decided, and he'd simply stripped off and let the hot water soak his skin, plastering his dirty hair to his scalp. He assumed that, naturally, the dirt would just wash itself off, because he couldn't see soap of any sort anywhere around him. It would have to do. At least he'd remembered to ask for a towel.

There was a quiet knock on the door, and Ciel peeked around the shower curtain.

"May I come in?"

It was Sebastian's voice. Ciel shoved down any embarrassment he may have felt creeping up his cheeks, reminding himself that, at least in his delusions, Sebastian had seen him naked more times than he could count. And Ciel hadn't cared in the slightest.

"Fine," Ciel let the curtain go and went back to mindlessly staring at the tiled wall as Sebastian entered – through the blur of the curtain, he could see that the doctor was walking on his own, even if he was moving rather stiffly. "Aren't you supposed to still be in the wheelchair?"

"It's a nuisance, so I decided to get my sprained ankle used to walking again. I'd certainly be no use to your cause if I were half your height, now, would I?" the doctor replied, and Ciel heard the smirk in his voice. "Would you like any assistance?"

Ciel was glad for the privacy of the shower curtain – the blush that flushed his face was hard to get rid of – if Sebastian happened to see it, he could always blame it on the heat of the water hitting his face.

"W-what makes you think I need help?" Ciel quickly scrubbed at his arm with one hand, trying to make it look like he knew what he was doing. "I'm perfectly capable of bathing myself."

"You've been in there for fifteen minutes, Ciel," Sebastian said, mild amusement tinging his voice.

"Your point?"

Sebastian covered a soft chuckle with a cough. "The soap's still out here on the bench."

Ciel groaned and peeked around the shower curtain again, making sure he was covered appropriately at Sebastian. "Fine. You can…uh…wash my hair. Or something. Gimme the soap."

Sebastian smiled down at him from his superior height, his good arm carrying a spare towel with a couple of bottles labelled as shampoo and conditioner set on top, along with a face cloth.

"I was going to suggest that, actually," he said, setting them down on a chair beside the shower and reaching for the soap, handing it to Ciel. "Lather yourself up with the soap and be sure to scrub yourself all over."

Ciel was glad that he'd turned away from Sebastian, who reached up and literally unhooked the rail that the shower curtain was on, and lowered it down before hooking it back into the wall, where there was a hole at about Ciel's chest height. Ciel blinked in surprise, his dry comment about washing himself disappearing on his tongue.

"How did you do that?" he asked, and Sebastian smirked.

"It's an adjustable rail – it allows the person bathing to retain a degree of privacy, but, if they are handicapped or unable to reach very high with their hands, such as to wash their hair, it enables a nurse or assistant to reach over the rail to help them. You're lucky it goes that low in the first place – you really are a slip of a thing," the doctor added off-handedly, and Ciel growled.

"I…urgh. Besides, how are you going to wash my hair with only one hand?" he asked, and Sebastian just chuckled.

"I'm nothing if not determined."

"I noticed."

"Oh good," Sebastian chimed as he gently hand his fingers through Ciel's hair, and his tone turned down to concern. "Oh my – it really has been a while since your hair was last tended to properly."

Ciel busied himself with rubbing the soap over in his hands and then rubbing his soapy hands over his arms and chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," Sebastian sighed. "As part of my duties as your Keeper in the Hospital while you were being experimented on, I was to not only constantly monitor you but also take care of your physical needs and personal hygiene."

"Sounds _lovely_," Ciel muttered sarcastically, not sure just how much more embarrassing this conversation could get.

"Keeping an unconscious person well kept is incredibly important – especially because of the extended periods of time in which you were submerged with the tanks; some of the chemicals that were used did some rather awful things to the natural chemicals in your hair." The doctor noted. "And it was Mey-Rin who would keep my personal stock of care products for your skin and hair fully stocked, even after she discontinued her work at the Hospital."

Ciel let the soap rinse off of his skin under the raining hot water, watching as the water sprayed across the pale flesh and splattered down in larger drops to the floor, the steam from the heat rising around him. Sebastian was rubbing a handful of shampoo gently into his hair, the doctors' long fingers carefully massaging his scalp. Ciel would never admit it, but the feeling was heavenly. Being cooped up in the hospital all day had given him a headache – a mixture of random flashes, which he could only assume were flashbacks of some sort, and dizziness – disorientation and a little unsteadiness, had all built up tension in his mind. He'd gone to Madame Red, who'd given him a few tablets that she said would help, and while the headache had eased just a little, the effects of it still remained and it felt like his scalp had been slowly cracking in two.

He allowed himself a sigh, and he let his eyes close as Sebastian worked his fingers through the damp, soapy strands of hair before instructing Ciel to rinse the suds out under the showerhead. They repeated the process with the conditioner, but this time, Sebastian instructed him to stand for about three minutes with the conditioner in his hair before rinsing it out. Ciel had gotten some of the conditioner in his eye, and, grumbling in pain, had finally allowed Sebastian to assist in rinsing it out. At first, he'd refused, cowering in the corner away from Sebastian with his hands pressed to his face, but Sebastian had gone so far as to pull off his own shirt, kick off his shoes and step into the shower with Ciel, hauling him to his feet and forcing him to stand up straight with his head tilted back under the showerhead. Sebastian had gently worked his wet fingers around Ciel's eye; carefully flicking away any offending soapsuds, until Ciel had insisted the pain had gone.

Now both thoroughly soaked, they stepped dripping from the shower, Sebastian immediately wrapping Ciel in an overly large, fluffy towel before rubbing himself down with another. In his attempts to dry himself, Ciel's eyes caught on Sebastian's skin – the man was skinny; scrawny, almost, but finely muscled. Ciel could see the re-applied bandage on Sebastian's shoulder, now also soaking wet, which Sebastian carefully dabbed at with his good hand until it was relatively dry and not in danger of falling off.

Sebastian left him to dress in the clothes that Madame Red had given him and had disappeared out into the private ward, and Ciel, still wrapped up in a towel, watched him go. It was only as Sebastian turned his back to Ciel when Ciel caught sight of something – something that made his stomach drop like a lead weight.

There was a tattoo – no, a _brand mark_ – on Sebastian's back. On his left side, just on his ribcage where his elbow would fall at his flank. Ciel's eyes widened, and he went to speak, but no sound came out, and Sebastian disappeared without realizing what Ciel had seen.

That was the same brand mark that Ciel had had, when he'd been used as a sacrificial lamb for that damned cult. In his hallucinations. Quickly stepping up to the mirror, Ciel flung away the towel and twisted around, desperately trying to see his own back.

He nearly screamed. Nearly vomited. Nearly screamed again.

There was the very same brand mark – why he hadn't noticed it there before was beyond him – why Mey-Rin hadn't mentioned it that time she'd been helping him find something to wear he didn't know. Did Sebastian know it was there? Of course he would – he'd just told Ciel about how he'd had to take care of Ciel's personal hygiene – that would include some sort of bathing, right?

Silently, Ciel touched two fingers to the mark on his side. The skin was numb, raised like a scar, puckered into the shape of the branding mark of the cult. It had been a symbol of his humiliation, his disgrace as a child at the hands of insane murderers.

With a sinking feeling, he knew it still was.

He dressed quickly, tugging the shirt haphazardly over his head and pulling on the pair of cotton shorts over a set of underwear Madame Red had given him, and made his was quickly out to the rest of the ward.

"_Ciel_!"

"Hey! You're okay!"

He was suddenly assaulted by hugs and embraces, and blurs of red and blonde hair smothered him, laughing and crying in happiness.

"What the – Mey-Rin! Finni! Cut it out, hey! I can't breathe!" he gasped, his intent suddenly disappearing as the two of them attempted to hug the life out of him before finally letting him go and stepping back. Beyond their happy faces, he could see Pluto standing by the door, on guard already, and Bardroy speaking quietly to Sebastian by the window.

"We're so happy, yes we are – I can't believe that happened to you!" Mey-Rin blathered, almost seeming to revert to her high-pitched nonsense voice that Ciel remembered her having so clearly on a daily basis. "Thank God you're all right – you've been so brave!"

"Brave?" Ciel repeated. "Bravery's got nothing to do with it."

"Course it does!" Bardroy chimed in, leaving Sebastian and coming over to give Ciel a pat on the head. "For all you knew, you'd been shipped away back to that hell hole! And Sebastian told us all about your courageous scalpel-wielding skills!"

Ciel blushed crimson at the memory – he still felt bad about not recognizing his aunt sooner, and the whole ordeal had resulting in getting her hurt. She didn't blame him, insisted that she was fine, but he couldn't help but feel a touch guilty about it.

"Oh…_that_," he muttered, and he managed to duck out of the blabbering three as they fell into excited conversation around him. He glanced at Pluto, who gave him a small smile and a nod, before turning and striding over to Sebastian. "Hey."

The doctor turned to him – he was now wearing a large, loose grey shirt that hung off his shoulders, and Ciel could see that his hair was still damp, shining wetly in the overhead light.

"I see you had no trouble dressing," Sebastian smiled down at him, but Ciel's frown made him pause. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes. Explain _this_." Ciel turned on his heel and yanked up his shirt, and he heard Sebastian take a sharp intake of breath. Mey-Rin, Finni and Bardroy all stopped and turned to stare, Mey-Rin catching sight of the marking and gasping.

"Aw hell," Ciel heard Bardroy breathe, and he looked back over his shoulder at Sebastian.

"Well?" he demanded, and Sebastian returned his demanding gaze with a solemn one of his own. "You have one too."

"I won't deny it," Sebastian nodded slowly. "We _all_ have it." He looked past Ciel at the others, who all shared slightly nervous glances before they, too, lifted up their shirts. Finni's brand mark was on his right shoulder blade, and the mark was a little blurred – as if he'd tried to twist and turn while the brand had been applied. The scarring looked painful, and Ciel had to swallow hard. Bardroy's was on his left hip, a much deeper marking than that of either Ciel or Sebastian's, like the brand had been pressed harder on his skin. Mey-Rin's was on her front, the left side of her ribcage, just under her breast. It didn't look as if the one who'd branded her had been particularly careful, either – one side of the brand was deeper and darker than the other.

Even Pluto had one – his was marked on the back of his right shoulder, and he grimaced as he peeled his shirt down to show Ciel the grim, angry mark.

"H-how…why…" words and coherent sentences wouldn't form on Ciel's lips, and all he could do was stare in shock at the gathered assortment of brand marks. They were all marked – labelled, like livestock.

_The mark of the noble beast._

"We all bare this mark because we were all once under the Hospital's influence. These brands were part of the process we had to go through to convince us to keep our silence, whether we stayed or fled," Sebastian explained quietly, and everyone around Ciel had to glance away – none of them could look him in the eye. "It was our pact. Now, it's a symbol that we have survived; we aren't theirs anymore but we are still together and have each other."

"That's the Phantomhive way," murmured Ciel softly, almost to himself – he hardly even realized what he was saying. It just seemed…right, somehow.

"You're right," Pluto said. "We're the Phantomhive medical team. Well, you are, anyway," he corrected himself, gesturing around at Sebastian and the others. "Me, not so much."

"What do you mean, Plu?" Finni asked. "Of course you're one of us."

"I know _that_," Pluto said mildly with an off-handed shrug. "It's just – you know. You all had each other first. I just appeared later on. Wasn't even there for most of it."

"Yes, but you were a valuable asset nonetheless," Sebastian noted, and Ciel could hear the gratitude in his voice. "Without you, we wouldn't have had the intel or the information possible to hatch such a scheme as to rescue Ciel. You were key in this too, Pluto."

Pluto glanced away, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face. "Cheers." He muttered. Ciel turned back to Sebastian.

"So even the patients have these brands?"

"Sadly, yes. Every single one of them who are of the age of ten or above. For some reason, those sadists got a kick of morality that was just enough to tell them that children under ten shouldn't have to suffer such…pain." He nodded, and Ciel sighed.

"Well, I'm thirteen now. I've had this for the last three and a half years." He said softly, but Mey-Rin piped up.

"You'll be fourteen in December," she smiled, trying to ease the melancholy mood a little. "That'll be a great chance to celebrate, won't it?"

"Yes, but its only August," Ciel replied, feeling proud that he'd been able to understand the calendar that he'd seen hanging in the old safe house. "Still nearly half a year away."

Bardroy snorted. "Isn't that the point of bein' thirteen and a half?"

Ciel paused, confused for a moment, before he realized that the grin on Bardroy's face was one of jest, and the tense atmosphere disintegrated into quiet laughter and joking. Though he didn't participate in the laughter so much, Ciel couldn't suppress a smile as he realized something; this was the sort of thing a family would do. Move through a problem and resolve it with good cheer. He thought that he'd long forgotten what good cheer was – but, as he sat on the hospital bed closest to the window, watching the night sky with the reflections of the others dancing about before him, he wondered if maybe happiness wasn't all that far away. Sure, he was being hunted. Sure, at any moment someone might step in here with a gun and murderous intent, but for now, the feeling was warm and comforting; and he held onto that.

He remembered feeling this way only a few very, rare times in his previous life. And, as he let his smile sit on his face, he remembered that every single time had been in the company of these people.

**-:-**

"_Riiiiise_ and _shiiiiiine_, my darling little dumplings~!" Grell's shrill voice roused Ciel from the strange dream he'd been immersed in as the flamboyant redhead danced through the door the next morning, and Ciel pried his eyes open to blearily look at his bedside clock. Seven fifteen. He didn't have to be awake for at least another half an hour, and despite the firmness of the hospital bed and the crispness of the hard sheets, he found himself unwilling to rise from the nest he'd managed to make himself.

"No shining this early, please," he heard Sebastian grumble from the hospital bed next to his – there were several feet of space between the beds, and Ciel rolled over to look at the doctor. Whilst he'd been able to curl up and twist and make himself somewhat comfortable during the night, Ciel saw that Sebastian had been stuck lying on his back so that he wouldn't aggravate the bullet injury. The dark-haired doctor was staring blearily at the ceiling as Grell invited himself in, and Ciel noticed that, despite the mans hair being it's usual inky shade of red, it still had long, unrinsed streaks of brown dye running through it and was still pulled back into a relatively tidy ponytail, with the exception of several strands of red hair flying freely around Grell's wide-awake face.

"Oh Bassy, you're _such_ a morning person!" he chortled as he leant over Sebastian's bed, a clipboard in hand and flirtatious smile on his lips. "Angeline will be up to see to you both shortly – she just asked me if I'd run a favour for her and get you up ahead of time. Now, says here that the kids got a head-scan at eight thirty, that's fine – and she'll be bringing up something breakfast-y with her in a moment for you. Also, Bassy, she wants you to know that there's gonna be this thing down at the X-ray room…"

Grell continued on his ramblings, reading quickly off the sheet attached to the clipboard, but Ciel stopped paying too much attention as he sat up and yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

"For someone who hates desk work," he murmured, half to himself. "You sure know how to remember lots of things that are important for the day."

Grell overheard him and stopped for a moment to flash a grin at Ciel. "They don't call me _deadly efficient_ for nothing, boy. I much prefer to be out and about instead of being cramped up inside, but I'm not _stupid_." He threw a wink Ciel's way before turning back to Sebastian. "…So anyway, Doctor Red wants…"

"Same as always," Ciel sighed quietly, not even bothering to question why Grell was running around doing favours for Madame Red if he didn't even _work_ here. He was momentarily reminded of something Grell had said in his previous life – _consider it an act of passion out of love for a certain woman._ Ciel pulled a face and shuddered – he hoped that Grell's flamboyant sexuality wouldn't result in someone's death this time. Well, not Ciel's newly reacquainted aunts' death, at the very least.

He turned away from Sebastian and Grell, the former who had taken the clipboard off of the latter so he could read its contents for himself, the latter never once losing his flirty attitude. Ciel slid from the bed and stood in front of the window – in the morning light, the city far below them was quite peaceful – not quite what Bardroy had referred to as 'rush hour' yet.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Sebastian called for the person to enter, and the door opened again – this time, it was Pluto, who had stood guard for them outside the ward all night, and he was holding the door open as Madame Red wheeled in a trolley with a few covered dishes and bowls, a pitcher of milk and a pitcher of water, and on the shelves underneath there looked to be a few tools and implements that a doctor would use in a physical examination.

"Morning all," she smiled as she stepped past Pluto. "I hope the beds weren't too hard for you?"

"It's quite fine," Sebastian replied, who was still lying flat on his back. Ciel would have called him lazy if he hadn't known about Sebastian's injury. "Just don't send your lackey in here next time with cheerful greetings like the one this morning _ever_ again."

"Why not?" Madame Red looked from Sebastian to Grell in surprise, and Grell chuckled softly as Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Because if you do, I'll be forced to choke him with his cheerful greetings and let him explain _that one_ to his boss," Sebastian said dryly, and Grell burst into a fit of laughter, Madame Red and Pluto also catching on the sarcastic comment. Ciel watched, feeling only minorly amused. His aunt called him over, and offered him a bowl full of diced tinned fruit and a glass of water – only after a nod from Sebastian did he accept the milk, remembering what the doctor had said about bad side effects.

Angeline began to explain in more detail than Grell's vague rambles about what would be happening that day – at eight-thirty, she would take them down to the MRI chamber, which at that time of morning would still be deserted, and quickly perform the scan on Ciel before any suspicion was aroused. After they had gathered the results and determined what had really happened during the surgery on Ciel's head, they would head back up to the ward to stay out of sight of any other doctors and patients. A while later, during Angeline's lunch break, she would come back and take Sebastian down to a special room for an "X-ray", which Grell briefly explained to Ciel as being a big machine, like an MRI, that let people see what was going on inside of the person. Only the X-ray was designed to highlight and show bone structures and the like, where as the MRI was specifically made to scan the brain and build an electronic image of the brain. All the while, Mey-Rin, Finni and Bardroy would all take turns standing guards outside the room while Pluto headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Ciel assumed, somewhere along the line, that he was going to have to entertain himself for the entire day in which he wasn't allowed to the leave the room. Before Pluto headed back to the hotel to send one of the others back in his place, he asked Pluto to get one of them to bring a deck of cards or something if something like that was available. Pluto had laughed before disappearing out the door and commented something about how Bardroy would be so over the moon about Ciel showing some interest in playing a game he'd bring an entire toy factory to satisfy him. Ciel could only hope that Pluto was kidding.

"Well, Ciel? Are you ready?" Madame Red pulled Ciel from his day-dream of staring out the window and turned to her.

"Hmm?"

"It's almost time," she said kindly, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Finish your breakfast and then we'll head down – most of the nurses stations will still be fairly quiet so we shouldn't have to sneak you around too much."

Ciel nodded absently and sipped down the last of the syrup from the fruit from the bowl before setting it aside – something that he couldn't have imagined doing if he'd been a dignified Early; sipping straight from a bowl was…unbecoming of a young man. But, he reminded himself, he wasn't really an Earl. That was all just some delusion concocted by some cocktail of drugs. He wondered if he ever slurped straight from the bowl when he was a kid, with a proper, loving family, before the whole experiment ordeal happened.

Setting aside his bowl, Ciel followed as Madame Red, Grell and Sebastian, who had been forced to lower himself back into the wheelchair for the sake of Madame Red, filed out of the ward, the door clicking shut behind them. They moved quickly and quietly, Grell assisting Sebastian by pushing the wheelchair behind, occasionally scooting ahead with small cries of glee as he coasted along behind Sebastian, who firmly and repeatedly asked him to stop before they hit a wall. The small, odd group passed by an abandoned nurses station, and Ciel only saw very few nurses and doctors moving through the halls that they passed, and none of them were close enough to stop and question the strange little cohort.

What seemed to be a hundred corridors and three floors down later, the two doctors, redheaded agent and young boy entered a large, white-washed room with a large machine set into the middle of it. It had a long tray that slid into, with an array of buttons on the side for manual control, and all number of wires and cables sprouting from the base of it, snaking across the lino floor into a panel on the wall. Ciel paused as he looked around, taking it all in.

The room seemed to buckle and warp all of a sudden, and he could suddenly hear his heartbeat in his ears – there was something wrong…something not right with this place. He looked around – and saw himself. Surrounded by the large, looming shadows of tall, white-coated men. All huddled around him as he was strapped to the long tray. There was a trolley with several bloodstained instruments on it. There was blood all over their white gloves.

_All over him._

"Ciel?" Sebastian's hand was suddenly touching his, dragging him away from the horrible scene and back to reality.

"Huh?"

"I was saying your name for almost a minute. Are you quite all right?" Sebastian inquired, his dark crimson eyes flaring with concern, and Ciel shook himself, realizing that both Madame Red and Grell were also watching him with looks of concern on their faces.

"I'm fine. I just…thought I saw something," he muttered, before lowering his eyes and stepping up to his aunt. "Let's do this. Before I lose my nerve."

Angeline leant down and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Are you sure, darling? It can wait if you're not ready."

Ciel gently pulled away from her embrace, not wanting to seem ungrateful for the kind gesture of affection. "I'm sure. If not now, when? This is our chance and if we don't take it while we can, then we might never know what they did to me. To my head. To my memories." He looked up at the MRI machine. He still didn't know what MRI actually meant.

"Well then let's get this party started," Grell smirked, and Madame Red nodded, guiding Ciel over to the tray. She helped him to sit up on it, before instructing him to lie down. Against every fibre of his being, which still wracked him with the vision of the scene just moments before, Ciel obeyed, and suddenly, Sebastian rolled up at his side, the doctors pale, strong hand gently sliding over his own.

"You're all right, Ciel. I cannot be with you while the scan is being taken, but I'll be in the observatory with Red and Grell," he said softly, and Ciel rolled his head to look up at the dark haired doctor.

"I know it was only a dream, just a…made up memory – but…will you say it?" he asked quietly, and Sebastian blinked before realizing what he was asking; he remembered from when Ciel had been telling him everything he remembered. "I…I think it might help to calm me down. Just a bit."

"You're nervous."

"You're being obvious."

Sebastian smiled gently. "You have nothing to fear. But, before I said it, didn't you always have to give me an order?"

"Michaelis!" Madame Red called – she was already at the door. "Come on. We don't have much time."

Sebastian nodded, before turning back to Ciel. "Well? What is your order?"

Ciel took a deep breath. He knew Sebastian was merely indulging him in this; but it felt…nice. Almost like he was used to. If nothing in this messed up world was right, there was always Sebastian. Sebastian was his unchanging, unwavering solid rock of stability.

"After this is over, Sebastian," he whispered, his throat dry in nervous anticipation. "I…I want you…to…help me. Find my parents."

He glanced at Sebastian, who gave him a rather surprised look, but then, the surprise melted into his same old smirk.

"That's an order."

Sebastian bowed his head, as he was not able to stand and bow, before letting go of Ciel's hand and rolling back a little.

"Yes, my young Lord."

And with that, the raven haired doctor retreated from the MRI chamber and joined Grell and Madame Red up in the observatory, a small room full of more machines that would show the scanned images the MRI would take of Ciel's brain. With a nod from Ciel, Angeline started up the machine, and the tray Ciel was lying on was slowly pulled into the MRI machine. It came to a halt as nearly half of his body disappeared, and Ciel let his eyes close as several bright, red LED lights began to shine down over his face.

He felt…calm, now. Almost normal, were it not for the whir and hum of the machine all around him. He would get some answers, finally. There was no running this time. There were just going to be answers.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

So it wasn't a very exciting filler chapter, unless you count the shower scene where he gets soap in his eyes.

I once had to have an MRI scan, and goddamn it was the weirdest thing I've ever had done to me. (Apart from that one time with the ouija board, an over-ripe mango and the staple gun…) However, I digress. I've been having rather terrible Kuroshitsuji withdrawal symptoms lately, so instead of doing tons of writing I've been doing tons of re-watching of the anime. Because no one gets Sebastian as in character as J Michael Tatum and Daisuke Ono. My God those men make me shiver.

And now, I apparently need another job =_= away to roam the town of little opportunity! At least I won't be on my own, I've got a friend coming with me coz apparently I inspired him to do some job hunting of his own. Dear Lord, I hath created a monster…

_- Mercy_


	12. Chapter Eleven

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

All I can say is thank you, to every single damn one of you who thinks that this story is worth reading and even writing on my part. I'll admit, I didn't think it was going to be hugely popular, coz it's got a lot of medical mumbo-sciency-jumbo in it, but you're all taking that in stride, and I'm really really REALLY flattered that this story already has over 50 favourites – wow you lot, you know how to make a gals day.

And you're all fabulous. For telling me that it's okay to have these guys just a little out of character, coz you know what? You're RIGHT. Creative liberties must be taken. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for revitalising my spirit and encouraging me to keep writing! FULL STEAM AHEAD!

_- Mercy_

…

_By the way, that shower scene in the last chapter wasn't actually supposed to be fan service, but it kinda turned out that way, huh? XD love you all!_

* * *

**Chapter Eleven:** Phantom

-:-

"There seems to have been some excitement."

The conference room was dark, lit only by the glow and a luminescent globe that sat in its centre, glowing a soft, radiant blue, casting every one who was seated at the long, mahogany table in shadow. Some of them had white coats; and some of them were in darker, formal suits. At the head of the conference table, man and a woman sat, dressed in flattering white that caught the light of the lamp, making their clothes appear to have a bluish tint. Nervously, one of their subordinates spoke up.

"Y-yes, sir. Uh…five…um, six days ago – the main facility was b-broken into, sir." The man stammered. This was not good news, and the man would have rather eaten gravel for a week instead of having to report to his superior.

"And?"

"A-a-and, s-sir…o-one of the subjects…he was – uh, s-stolen, sir."

There was silence. Everyone gathered at the table knew what this meant. There was a live test subject out there somewhere – every measure imaginable had already been employed in efforts to track down and recover the boy. They all knew that the boy was going to be confused, disorientated – if not dead already. If not treated properly, the boys mind could snap and his body would cease to function; such incredible pressure hadn't been placed on it for several years.

"Has the child been recovered yet?" the man at the head of the table asked softly, his voice calm and low. The subordinate had sweat running down his face and a tremour in his voice – he was no match for his boss's straightforward attitude and no-nonsense demeanour. Lying was of no use.

"…N-no, sir…"

Silence once again fell in the room, and several of the gathered workers exchanged glances. They were mainly scientists; doctors. They didn't know what the security squads were like, how they might handle the recovery of such a delicate subject. Of all the experiments, that boy was the most successful. He had been the prize. Any harm that came to him may spell the end for all of them.

"Well, I can hardly say that this is the best news I've had all day," the man at the end of the table said loftily, with an airy sigh. A shiver ran around the room – everyone expected him to start shouting and ordering his armed guards, who stood in each corner of the room, to have them all executed on sight for their stupidity. "I was hoping for more pleasant new upon my return."

"I'm s-s-sorry, s-sir…" the subordinate blubbered, his shoulders shaking so visibly in the dim light that nearly everyone gathered had to avert their eyes. They knew he was responsible for the subjects' disappearance – he had been the one left in charge that night. His lack of organisation and thoughtlessness allowed the men who stole the subject to get away.

But the man at the head of the table waved him away, as if bored. "No matter. Do we have any idea who the perpetrators were and why they stole away Subject Thirteen in particular and not any of the others? Of all the ones to choose from, they hardly chose the easiest."

The scientists looked around at each other, still nervous about the strange calmness of their superior, his female companion next to him still remaining completely silent. The blubbering idiot was no longer able to speak, and so one of the other doctors cleared her throat and spoke in his place.

"Well, sir – it appears we were harbouring a rebel – Subject Thirteen's medical team, all of whom had dispersed save for one, has finally made their move," she said, managing to keep her voice far steadier. She was collected and prepared as she spoke, offering no sign of weakness. "His Keeper, Doctor Michaelis, was one of the thieves that night, along with one of his ex-medical team. A young intern, Finnian McInnes."

"Ah, McInnes and Michaelis," her superior breathed, and they could all almost hear amusement in his voice. "I always expected him to lead that poor impressionable boy astray. One of the reasons we pushed McInnes so hard to leave in the first place."

"I-indeed, sir," the young woman said, a little bit thrown by his comment. "In any case, another one of their medical team showed up in the get-away vehicle, an old hatchback. Doctor Michaelis was wounded by one of our security personnel, but we can safely assume that no harm came to the subject."

"I wonder," the man at the head of the tables female companion spoke up softly. "Why was Michaelis so very determined to steal away the boy when we placed so much faith in him in the first place to keep the boy alive? Didn't he know the reverberations of his actions could possibly lead to serious trauma and permanent damage of the patient?"

"A good point indeed," her male associate agreed before addressing the young woman again. "Tell me, Doctor Kingsley, do we have any idea where they might be now?"

Doctor Kingsley cleared her throat again. "Uh, no sir. We have a lead, thought, which may either be bogus or not. One of our spies that infiltrated the Dispatch Society caught wind of the investigation going on into the Phantomhive case – they reported back only a few hours ago that one of their top advisors had some idea of where the boy and doctor might be now. It's unclear, however, if they're accompanied by the rest of the rogue medical team."

"Top advisors?"

"Yes sir. Unfortunately the Dispatch has to keep him contained, apparently, because he's supposedly prone to the occasional violent outburst. We were able to narrow down the list until we came up with the identity of the advisor from the data's description." She nodded. "I-in fact, he used to be one of ours."

Doctor Kingsley took a manila folder from her lap and opened it on the table, taking from it a single piece of paper – a photograph. She then slid the photo up and across the table until it bumped into the glowing lamp, the photo of the persons face suddenly illuminated.

He was a fairly handsome young man, with light red-orange hair, wearing a dark blue jacket and a hat that was adorned with black feathers. There was a small purple tattoo on his cheek; a royal emblem. There was a dog lying at his feet, curled around him happily. Doctor Kingsley slid over another photo – this time, the young man was sitting in a padded cell, his hat gone and instead of the dark blue jacket he wore a torn white strait jacket. Instead of smiling, he looked miserable – like he had been crying. There was a photograph stuck into the padded wall behind him – the same dog from before was grinning happily out of it at the camera.

"Ah," the man at the head of the table sighed softly. "I remember him – name escapes me, though. Good lad, he was. Helped the kids forget, didn't he?"

"Yes sir," Doctor Kingsley said. "He was our main psychotherapist for the subjects after the operations on their skulls. He…uh…snapped, sir, after that meeting you had with him about it afterwards. We had him released from our jurisdiction and sent him on his way. He ended up as evidence for the Dispatch."

The woman sitting next to the man leant over to him and whispered something into his ear, something none of the other gathered people of the Hospital staff were privy to. He nodded to her and then sat forward again.

"Indeed. It goes to show how very arrogant the Dispatch has become; they wouldn't even let the poor boy have his dog. Still. He did violate the rules – letting him go was the only option he left me with. Sad, really." He said thoughtfully. "Now then – you say he has information on the whereabouts of the test subject and Michaelis?"

"Yes sir." Doctor Kingsley said. "Apparently, he's a delusional maniac now, sir, but he is still an invaluable source of information to the Dispatch, or so they think. According to our spy, he has…visions, or…ah, nightmares. Some of which are sort of like premonitions, they say. The latest one involved a hospital – a public one."

"A public hospital, hmm?" her superior hmmed, before looking back down at the photograph of the young man. "Well, they can't have gone far. Even a Keeper as reckless as Michaelis would know that excessive movement of the subject could be damaging." He turned and gestured to one of his guards who stood in the corner, and the man straightened up a little to receive his orders. "Start searches of every single public hospital in the area. I want my test subject back."

"Yessir," the guard said, before turning and heading out the door – a door that had remained hidden in shadow until now, and the corridor outside was well lit and carpeted. Far more inviting than the cold, dark conference room.

The man sat back in his chair. "Now then. As for the rest of you – I want you all back to work immediately. Apart from you, Newton," he added as they all began to rise from their chairs, and the man who had wilted into a blubbering wreck earlier nearly jumped. "I want you to stay."

"O-oh! Uh, of course, s-sir," he stammered, and had to watch as everyone else scraped back their chairs and filed out the door. Doctor Kingsley didn't take the photographs with her – she left them sitting on the desk as she departed with the rest of them. Doctor Newton was on his own with his two superiors and the three guards left.

"Now, Newton, my man," the man said, not rising from his seat. His female companion, however, got to her feet but remained beside him wordlessly. Newton trembled as he tried to reply.

"Uh – um, ye-yes, sir?"

"I have a new job for you," the man replied, almost cheerfully. "Think of it as a way to pay for screwing up the last time I put you in charge."

Newton just about wet himself in relief. "R-really, sir? What is it? What can I –"

There was the sound of a single gun shot fired, and the man at the head of the tables female companion lowered the handgun slowly as the doctor fell to the floor, a brand new hole now in the centre of his forehead. Blood leaked down onto the carpet below as the man stood from his chair and made his way to stand over the now dead doctor. His face was illuminated in the blue glow of the lamp still sitting on the table, and his expression was one of disgust.

"Now just stay that way, _you filthy idiot_. Try not to screw up." He muttered, before glancing over the table, his eyes catching on the photographs. He reached over of dragged them into grasping distance with one finger. Looking down at the young man in his hands, he sighed to himself. "Oh, _right_. Now I remember your name. You were the boy who ended up being just as unclean as the rest of them. I do hate to break my toys, but…"

He let out another long sigh, and this one held a tone of regretfulness. "…But you were my one toy I just couldn't fix."

Letting the photos fall from his hands and back onto the dark mahogany table, he strode to rejoin his female companion by the door. Her face was concealed by the shadows; although the light from the corridor outside spilt over her clothes – she was of a fairly pretty figure; tall, slender. He was a few inches taller than her, and offered her his arm, which she looked her hand through, and they stepped out of the room together.

The guards moved only after the footsteps had faded down the hallway. They moved as one to hoist up the dead body of Doctor Newton and carried him out, taking the corridor in the other direction. And long after the door had slid shut again, after all the light from the hall had been cut off, there was only the glowing blue light from the lamp still sitting in the middle of the conference table.

Still illuminating the two photographs of Drocell Keinz.

**-:-**

"Well _this_ is certainly interesting," Grell mused as they stepped back into the MRI room. The tray came out from within the machine, and Ciel sat up slowly. Madame Red and Sebastian followed the red haired man in, Madame Red with several large sheets in hand.

"What is?" he asked as she dragged over a large, shiny white easel looking stand that was standing in a corner. Using a set of magnets that were attached to its metallic surface, she pinned up the sheets, revealing several black sheets with multicoloured images patterning them – even Ciel knew enough to recognize the images as pictures of a brain. His brain.

"This," Madame Red said, pointing to a cross-section view of his brain from a birds-eye perspective. "And it's exactly what I thought it would be. There never was any piece of your brain removed at all, but look here, and here," she pointed out several tiny patches, and Ciel had to get up and move closer to see them clearly. They looked like tiny little black dots.

"What are those?" he asked.

"_Please_ tell me they're not microchips," Sebastian asked in exasperation as he rolled up next to them, Grell just behind them. "Because that's the last thing I need."

"They can't possibly be microchips, Bassy," Grell said thoughtfully, peering over Sebastian's shoulder at the scans. "They're not big enough and they're _entirely_ the wrong shape – besides, if they were microchips, that would mean they'd have some sort of tracer in them and the kid certainly wouldn't be standing here now if that was the case."

"I suppose not," Sebastian sighed in relief, and Ciel snuck a glance down at the dark haired doctor, the smallest of smiles tugging at his mouth. He wasn't sure if Sebastian was relieved because it would mean that there wouldn't be any need to have them removed, which could be messy, or because he was genuinely happy that Ciel wasn't about to be found and carted away to the Hospital again. Sebastian caught his glance and returned the small smile with one of his own and a nod.

"You'll be pleased to hear that Grell's right," Madame Red said, and they all turned their gaze to her. "They are, however, what I can assume to be remnants of the experimentation performed on Ciel's brain."

"They experimented on my head as _well_?" Ciel asked incredulously. "Wasn't taking my memories enough for them?"

Madame Red shook her head. "Actually that's where you're wrong, darling. They didn't take your memories at all. It's my personal belief that they did nothing more to your mind than create a sort of mental block, a barrier that was set up using subconscious oppressive suggestion, which is a sort of hypnotic technique that only very few can master, and almost undoubtedly the use of electric implants to repress brain activity in that area to numb the synapses while the technique was being used on you." She explained, tapping a finger thoughtfully on the tiny black dots. "You see, they would have opened up your skull to differentiate the certain areas of the brain, stimulating certain parts to see what exactly they did. Once they knew, they would have applied the suggestion technique and possibly the electrodes to set up the barrier, which would interept normal brain waves and activity, cutting off the section of the brain that they wanted electronically from the outside. That's what I believe these are."

"What, electrodes or implants?" Grell pulled a disgusted face, but Madame Red shook her head again.

"No – but the remnants. These are most likely the most minute of scars that the implants left once they were removed, probably just prior to Ciel's submergence into the isolation tank." She said, and Sebastian's eyes narrowed.

"Come to think of it, they did take their sweet time when it came to prepping him," he murmured, and Ciel turned to him. "I can only assume that was when the implants must have been removed. In which case, I was wrong, and I apologize."

"Apologize?" Ciel repeated. "What for?"

Sebastian gave him an apologetic smile. "For scaring you, Ciel. I told you that it was a theory of mine that they cut out a section of your brain. Even as skilled and as knowledgeable as I am in the field of medical sciences, the brain was never the focus of my studies. I knew the basics, but neurosurgery was not one of the things that I ever came across, and so I never studied up on the likes of brain experimentation or the like. It was my naivety that let me assume that was the most plausible explanation for the scar on the back of your head."

Ciel's hand unconsciously found it's way to his hair, and his fingers touched the raised scar. It felt much bigger than it probably was. "It's…it's all right. I didn't know any better, either."

"Then it's a good thing that I spotted you as you two were brought into the emergency ward," Madame Red smiled, her hand resting on Ciel's shoulder. "Apart from the fact that you could have ended up in the hands of someone unreliable."

"Indeed," Grell nodded. "And if there were any other officer but myself sent on this little errand of Will's, you'd both be at the hands of the Dispatch."

Ciel and Sebastian both nodded, and there was a moment of silence before a thought struck Ciel, and he looked up at his aunt.

"Say," he said. "You said something earlier about some subconscious oppressive suggestion technique, right?"

"Yes, why?" Angeline asked, but Ciel merely turned to Grell.

"And you said something about this man you've got at the Dispatch – the one who's mad. You said he knew some sort of hypnotic technique, and used to be a therapist of sorts?"

Grell raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"What're you getting, kid?"

Ciel looked from his aunt to the agent. "Well, you also said that he can make you see things, things that you've forgotten. And Madame Red said that she thinks some sort of barrier was made, a "mental block" in my mind so that I can't access the memories of my real childhood." He looked up at his aunt with a plotting smile. "Isn't that right?"

"You're not seriously considering it," Sebastian said from behind him, and Ciel turned to the raven haired man and nodded.

"Oh yes. If he can help to somehow lift this…whatever it is, whatever you want to call it, this thing – then I want to talk to him." Ciel said firmly, and Madame Red laid a hand on his shoulder.

"But hon, it could take years – you're entire life – to undo the damage done to create this barrier within your mind in the first place," she said, and Grell nodded.

"That _and_ this guy's a total nut house. He's two clowns short of a circus in there," Grell tapped the side of his head as if to indicate his brain. Ciel shook his head.

"I don't care. Perhaps we can catch him in a moment of clarity." He said. "Besides, you said he was a bit of a clairvoyant, right? So he should expect something like this to happen. It's worth a shot."

There was the creak of the wheelchair behind them, and they turned to see Sebastian standing slowly.

"I must say," Sebastian said tiredly. "It would certainly be far easier on myself and the others if Ciel had a little more knowledge about his past. Not to mention on Ciel himself," he set his hand on Ciel's other shoulder, and Madame Red stood back. "I stand by him in this decision."

Ciel smirked to himself. This felt good – he felt almost like he used to; in control with Sebastian always there to back him up. He knew he was still a long way away from giving orders, from being back to the old self that he used to know, and he also knew that he would never be the same as that self ever again. But if this man, this mysterious lunatic that Grell spoke of, could do absolutely anything to help, then he was willing to give it a try. He was running out of any other option at this point.

Madame Red sighed and looked at Grell.

"Well, it's your call," she said. "He's under your jurisdiction."

Grell paled.

"_Mine?_ Oh no, madam – don't get me wrong, but he's just not in quite my area of expertise. See, I'm a field agent, not a babysitter – "

"Grell," Sebastian said, and Ciel blinked at the tone of his voice. It was soft, almost pleading. "Wouldn't you just help us out? Just this one time?"

Ciel looked up at the dark haired doctor, and nearly gagged. Sebastian's eyes were gentle and charming, and if he could have been, he would have been sparkling softly. There was a pout on his lips, and Ciel shuddered as Grell nearly swooned right there in the MRI chamber.

"W-well, I…uh…" Grell trailed off, before shaking himself and setting his face straight. "Urgh. Fine, I'll do it – but you owe me big time, Bassy." He growled before turning to all of them with a sigh of exasperation. "Look, I'll see what I can do but don't expect any miracles from me, okay? I'm not a magician."

Ciel smiled, and Madame Red sighed with relief. He had a sneaking suspicion that she had had the same idea about the barrier in Ciel's mind, but he wasn't about to ask.

"Thank you, Grell," Sebastian burst into the most sincere, sweetest sugar smile that Ciel could have imagine, honey dripping from his words, and Grell flashed him a flirty grin.

"Never thought I'd have heard you be so very nice about thanking me, Bassy-boy," he smiled, before stepping over to Sebastian. "Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

"Of course not," Sebastian nodded as Grell tapped his cheek, and the dark haired doctor leant over to give Grell a quick Judas Kiss. The redhead chortled to himself before pulling out a phone from his pocket and checking it.

"And now, pumpkins, I've really got to get back to the Dispatch – Will's going to have my ass on a plate if I'm not back and reporting in soon. He's so cruel; never a day off unless it's a public holiday."

"He's sounds like quite the slave driver," Ciel smirked, and Grell rolled his eyes.

"Urgh – you have _no_ idea, kid. Consider yourself lucky you'll probably never have to worry about having to find work. Living a normal life isn't going to be easy for you now that you've got all this ruckus going on." Grell waved a hand airily around the room. "Anyhow – ta-ta, all!"

He blew a quick kiss to Sebastian, who ignored it, as he headed out. Madame Red sighed as the door closed behind him.

"Well," she said. "That was…"

"Brief of him," Sebastian finished.

"Oddly familiar," Ciel murmured, and they both turned to look at him.

"What do you mean, Ciel?" Angeline asked as Ciel gazed thoughtfully at the door through which Grell had departed. He was remembering a time where the redhead had been a Grim Reaper, and had been quick to disappear or avoid trouble whenever necessary.

"Just…nothing. Something I remembered," he muttered, shaking his head. "From my, uh, delusions. However I knew Grell before all this happened, he must have a similar attitude, because I do remember things like this happening. You know, his sudden leaving and all."

"Well he always was quite flighty when it came to avoiding the wrath of his superior officer. Can't say I've ever met the man in person but from what Grell makes him out to be he sounds most unpleasant," Sebastian mused, and Madame Red shrugged.

"But there's nothing we can do about that now," she said, turning to Ciel. "However, what we can and must do is get you back up to the ward before Sebastian's X-ray at ten."

The two of them nodded, and just as Sebastian went to follow them out, Madame stopped him and wagged a finger in his face. "Uh-uh, mister. Sit."

Sebastian sighed and settled himself back into the wheelchair, and Ciel could see him visibly restraining from grumbling as Madame Red pushed him out, and Ciel followed them with a small smile. It was…interesting to see Sebastian so submissive, especially to his aunt. Probably because in this reality, Madame Red could be a fire breathing dragon attitude wise for all Ciel knew.

As he stepped out the MRI chamber, he glanced back over his shoulder at the machine. It was still just standing there, like it always was and had been, lifeless now that it had been shut down. He stared at it for a moment, almost expecting another vision to hit him, but his attention was caught away as Madame Red called to him from down the hall. Shaking himself from his daze, he let the door swing shut and trotted to catch up with them.

**-:-**

The hallway was black, until there was a loud, echoing click, and suddenly, a set of lights flickered on, illuminating the hall. Down the corridor strode a man dressed entirely in black. His coat and pants were black. His shined dressed shoes were and immaculate shade of recently polished black. His hair was black, if a little messily combed to one side, several strands of it standing up at odd angles. Even the wire frames of his glasses were black, but his skin was incredibly pale by contrast, the overhead lights casting an eerie glow across the pastel cream of his complexion.

The click of his heels on the lino floor were loud, ricocheting off the walls before fading as quickly as they'd sounded. He came to a sharp halt at the end of the hall, where there was a single, electronically controlled door with a keypad set into the side panel.

He pushed several buttons in a specific sequence, and then stood back as the door processed the information quickly before sliding open with a soft hiss. It was as dark inside this room as it had been inside the hallway just moments later. Anticipation rose within his chest – he had just recently returned from an overseas trip with the heads of the company; they'd received news moments after they had landed at the airport that there had been a break in. One of the subjects had been stolen.

The head of the company hadn't invited him into the briefing room; after all, he was inferior in comparison to them. He was just another scientist – the leading scientist, no less, but it still didn't give him the honour of finding out just which specimen had been stolen away. The anxiety had been gnawing at him all day; only now had he been dismissed from his other duties to come and check on the subjects.

Stepping into the room, the scientist removed his black coat and reached for a hook on the wall in the dark; from it, he tugged down a large, long white coat, which he quickly drew across his shoulders and stuffed his hands through before fumbling for a light switch. Another set of fluorescent lights flicked on within the room, lighting up rows upon rows of large, low-to-the-ground tanks. Isolation tanks.

Cords and cables ran in every direction across the floor, from each and every tank and to a circuit board seated into a long panel set into one wall. Each tank had a set of monitors and devices attached to it, and he strode quickly among them. Two, four, six eight – the tanks were set up in columns of two running down the length of the oblong room, and he paused a moment as he saw one tank had been left unsealed. The specimen was still submerged, but the lid had been left uncovered, revealing the subjects face. She was pretty, for a girl. Barely in her thirteenth year – long blonde hair floated freely around her face, restrained only by a single hair tie that loosely secured the hair into a ponytail. The scientist scowled down at her as he quickly resealed her isolation tank – she had been one of the most annoying little drama queens he'd ever dealt with. Her high-pitched voice had split one of the other doctor's ear drums once; she hadn't wanted to be drugged. Didn't want to be experimented on – pitiful, weak little girl she was.

He returned to moving among the tanks, restlessly searching for the missing specimens tank. It would be the isolation chamber that was no longer functioning; the monitors would be turned off. Finally, he reached the twelfth tank, and the one tank that stood beside it, without a pair across the room from it. The thirteenth tank.

His anxiety cresting, he knelt quickly beside the twelfth tank and unsealed it, revealing the pale face of a young boy, only about a year or so older than the young girl before. His hair was also pale gold, but floated around his face in short, chopped waves. The scientist's shoulders slumped in relief. His specimen was still there. The boy had been untouched.

But then, he wondered, standing slowly after resealing the tank, who…? Which subject had been stolen away?

His eyes fell on the thirteenth tank. In his hurry to check on his own personal specimen, he had completely forgotten about the one test subject that he would have killed to be in charge of. Of course, he'd only forgotten because, if his specimen had disappeared, _he_ would have been killed.

But this one…he stepped slowly over to the front of the thirteenth tank, hands trembling ever so slightly as he reached to unseal it. Waving his hands over the sensory pad, he felt a shiver run through him as nothing happened.

_The tank was deactivated._

With a strangled cry, he wrenched the lid of the isolation tank open. Indeed, it had been switched off, and there was no specimen within the tank. The slate haired boy was gone. The most successful test subject the Hospital had ever seen – had been stolen away. Anger flared within his body – _who_ could have dared do such a stupid, _stupid_ thing?

Standing slowly, he turned to the far wall, and saw that there was a note pinned to it, obviously unnoticed by all the other scientists up until that point. Striding over, he yanked it down from where it had been stuck into the plaster with a single red hairpin. Growling, he only knew one person who used red barrettes. A certain intern named McInnes.

His eyes furiously read the hand written note. The writing was scrawled, but neat enough to be easily read.

**_Dearest Claude._**

**_So sorry you had to miss all the fun, hope you had a great time at the conference with Landers and Bloque. Thanks to your careless abandoning of your post here at the Subject Ward, the Phantomhive child is safe with me. Please remember to take care of the Tracy boy, seeing as you are, after all, HIS Keeper and not Ciel's. Be seeing you never again,_**

**_S. Michaelis._**

Claude Faustus wanted to scream – to howl and snarl in frustration and anger. How dare Michaelis insult and humiliate him like this? Of course it had been Michaelis – the selfish bastard had been so intent on keeping Subject Thirteen all to himself; it only made sense that he'd be the one to be so foolish as to think he could possibly get away. Ciel Phantomhive would have brought Claude greatness – he would have been the rise to power that Claude wished for. But now, Michaelis, the filthy bastard, had stolen him away.

"That _imbecile_," Claude growled under his breath, scrunching Sebastian's note in one hand and whirling around, striding back among the isolation tanks at to the door, throwing his lab coat and the note into a pile as he exited the chamber, the door sliding quietly shut behind him.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

OOOOOH, DRAMA! Quick guys, get your popcorn, coz the next chapter's gonna get interesting!

And now you can review and tell me how wonderful you think it is that I've FINALLY introduced everyone's favourite little blonde psycho and his rod-up-the-ass butler companion. Hurr hurr – _Claaaauuude's a baaaddiee~!_

REVIEW! Go! Please! Inspire me, guys! MAKE ME WRITE MOAR.

_- Mercy_


	13. Chapter Twelve

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

I know it's only been a few days but it feels like for goddamn ever since I updated. I'm not sure if I should actually apologise for keeping you all waiting or not – I've got this weird, obsessive compulsive habit of checking for any new reviews on this baby like, every ten minutes whenever I'm online. Usually just while I'm waiting for a reply from a friend or something or I'm just extremely incomprehensibly bored.

But I've actually been doing more My Little Pony fanart than anything recently; I'm working on what's going to be an internet web-comic and establishing all the characters and that and getting the damn thing DRAWN is crazy. For anyone interested in MLP, drop me a hoi and I'll message you when the prologue of it goes up.

_- Mercy_

…

_To celebrate the new live action Black Butler movie that's being produced this year starring Hiro Mizushima (hmmm, he fiiine~!) and the REBIRTH of **The Most Beautiful Death In The World**, which is getting a repeat performance this year in May (unsure whether or not the same actors will be returning to their roles – hope so!), I have decided to add in a couple of my personal favourite characters from the Kuro universe into the series. They only appear in the second musical, Most Beautiful Death, and that's a –dead- giveaway as to who they are ;) (apart from their cameo appearance in The Tales of Will the Shinigami)._

* * *

**Chapter Twelve:** Doubt and Trust

-:-

"This is pointless,"

"It's important," Sebastian said firmly as he slid the piece of paper back across the table to Ciel, who had just shoved it away in exasperation moments before.

"I'm not gaining _anything_ from this!" Ciel objected, looking down at his rather messy handwriting. Sebastian had insisted that his writing would become better; smoother, the more he practiced, because it was like 'riding a bike' he said. Ciel had rolled his eyes. He'd certainly heard _that_ before.

"You're allowing yourself to become agitated, Ciel, and that's not the point of this," Sebastian's voice was authoritive yet calm, and his gaze unwavering. With a sigh Ciel picked up the paper. Reading over the unpractised writing again, he pouted and threw a dirty glance at Sebastian, who was preoccupying himself by pouring another cup of tea from the silver trolley beside them, which held cups, saucers, sugar, milk, teabags, and a plastic kettle full of hot water. They'd been at this for over an hour, and Ciel had finally resorted to umming and aahing and scratching his head in frustration because of it. And the list in his hand was no longer than just a few names.

"How am I _not_ supposed to be agitated?" he asked glumly. "I can't come up with anything."

He tossed the paper back down onto the table, and Sebastian passed across the cup of tea to him before taking up the paper himself.

"Well," the dark haired doctor said with a soft sigh. "You have only managed to come up with the people you've either met so far or have heard mentioned in conversation. There's a whole lot more than that, I guarantee."

"How do you know?" Ciel glared down into his cup of tea. Sebastian had finally found the time to sit him down and get him to try and make out the list of all the people that he could possibly remember from his drug induced hallucinogenic life, but the list wasn't very long at all. It was as if he kept forgetting their names. Their faces danced in his mind, but they were blurred images, fading like ink running on wet paper. Sebastian gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Because no more than three days ago you were describing people and places that really existed, people who still exist, and people who have existed. _Because you had lived with them_, or so you thought. I don't understand why you're finding this so hard," he said, before taking up the pen that Ciel had discarded. He wrote several more names down. "Here. Do any of these seem familiar?"

Ciel read over the three names Sebastian had written, the sunlight from the window next to them glancing off the white of the paper. They were sitting in the private hospital ward, with Bardroy just outside the door. It was a little passed midday; Sebastian had disappeared for about half an hour a while ago with Madame Red for this mysterious 'X-ray' appointment, but once he had returned he sat Ciel down and forced him to do this, saying that it was already several days too long since he should have written it. Now, Sebastian was worried that, without more familiar faces, Ciel would begin to forget the names and people he'd been associated with. That would make it harder for Ciel to regain any more memories.

Ciel sighed. "No, no – wait, I recognise this one," he said, tapping the last name. "I think…wait. She's…she's got brown hair. Um…"

"Paula Landsdale," Sebastian said with a small smile. "She was a nurse at the Hospital; Keeper of another one of the subjects. Now," he spun the paper back to face him, and quickly scrawled down three more names. "Now tell me who's Keeper she was."

Ciel looked over the new set of names. Their names seemed so familiar, so very clear – and the last one on the list pierced through his mind, and he knew.

"Lizzy," he breathed. "She was…my fiancé…"

"Good." Sebastian said encouragingly. "Now who are the others?"

Ciel pointed to the first name. "He was…really mean to a dog, I think," he murmured. "No, is that right? No – he…Houndsworth…urgh!"

Burying his face into his hands, Ciel gave another groan of frustration.

"Drink your tea," Sebastian instructed calmly, and Ciel took an angry sip of the soothing brew. "Now take a deep breath. Henry Houndsworth was the name of the man who your family brought their dog from. Elizabeth Midford is another test subject, a girl who was in the same ward as you while you had pneumonia before the experiments started."

"How do you have the information about who my family bought a _dog_ from?" Ciel asked, before a though struck him. "Wait – the only dog I remember died in the same fire that killed my parents!"

Sebastian shrugged.

"Your mother needed _something_ to talk about while you were resting and she was visiting. Your parents had just recently purchased a young dog from a man named Houndsworth, who's son Jack had also been a resident at the Hospital for a very brief time. Unfortunately, Jack…didn't make it." He said, and Ciel raised his eyebrows.

"You mean he died?"

"Yes. I was not, thankfully, his assigned doctor. I was already preoccupied with you and several others."

Ciel was about to ask how Sebastian could possibly see something good in the death a child, merely because he had nothing to do with, but he bit back on the quip and instead looked back down at the piece of paper. The last name sitting there staring back up at him wasn't familiar at all; he didn't ever remember coming in contact with the man.

"So…er, who's he?" he asked, tapping the name with one finger. Sebastian took a sip from his own teacup before answering.

"He's an officer at the Dispatch. I've only met him three times in total; however I don't think you have, which isn't all a bad thing."

"Why's that?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "He's a naive, cocky lad with no sense of style or timing. Sadly, he looks up to Grell as some sort of an idol. Which is _definitely_ a bad thing."

Ciel smirked to himself. "Ronald Knox," he mused the name out loud – it did have a certain ring to it, but he just couldn't place whether the ring held familiarity or just simple intrigue.

There was a moment of quiet as their conversation dropped to silence, and Ciel looked over the list again; Sebastian had crossed out the ones that he clearly had no memory of, leaving them with this.

_Sebastian Bardroy Lau/Ran Mau Grell Sutcliff Paula_

_Mey-Rin Pluto Edward/Richard William T Spears Houndsworth_

_Finni Madame Red Soma/Agni Elizabeth Ronald Knox_

"Perhaps try this approach," Sebastian said quietly, and Ciel looked up at his sudden words, blinking. "Imagine me, the way you know me as from your alternate life."

"A butler," Ciel replied without having to even think about it. "Dressed in black."

"Right. Now, who do you associate me with?"

"Mey-Rin, Finni, Bardroy, Pluto…everyone here," Ciel said, waving a hand over the list. "Why?"

"Because that shows you how many lives we have touched," Sebastian spoke softly, his eyes looking over the list of names. "Now, who do you associate Lau with?"

"L-Lau?" Ciel repeated, and dark haired doctor nodded promptly. "Ah, well. He lived in the East End – where the criminal neighbourhoods were mainly found. I…think."

"Keep going."

"He had a drug den," Ciel recalled, feeling that he was warming to the idea of recounting how he knew Lau. "An opium den, if I remember right. And in the East End…there were…there was an undertakers parlour. That's it!"

Ciel grabbed up the pen and quickly added the name _Undertaker_ to the list. "That's someone else!" he looked up, a surprised yet victorious smile on his face. Sebastian's own smile was pleased.

"Good. Is there anything else? Any adversaries you'd have competition with in the East End? The criminal underworld, as it was often called?"

Ciel narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. A face floated into his mind. Reddish hair, long, tan trench coat.

"Abberline," he murmured. "His name was Fred Abberline. He was with Scotland Yard."

"Still is," commented Sebastian, and Ciel looked up questioningly. "Well, last time I checked. He's a detective, and a rather dedicated one at that. Quite possibly even loosely related to the Fred Abberline that lived back in the eighteen hundreds – he was the man on the Jack the Ripper case, which was never solved."

"That…that's confusing but it also makes sense. He was one of the detectives we had competition with during the case," Ciel murmured. "And…the reason the case was never solved, was because my aunt and Grell were the two halves that made up Jack the Ripper. M-my aunt died at Grell's hands, and Grell was dragged away before we could finish him off ourselves."

He glanced up at Sebastian, who had an interested expression on his face. The open window let in a gentle, cool breeze, which caused the lightweight curtains around them to flutter a little.

"That's a clever take on the idea," the doctor nodded along. "It does explain it, I suppose."

"Yeah," Ciel muttered with a scowl. "Except Death Gods and demons don't exist in reality and it was all just made up in my head."

Sebastian reached over the small table and put a hands gently on Ciel's head, catching Ciel by surprise.

"However strange it seemed, Ciel, it's your vision of the world. And that's what's important, so long as we can hold onto that." The wheelchair bound doctor said softly with a small smile, and Ciel lowered his eyes. "And I have a theory as to why it's difficult for you to recall all of the people you can think of."

"Oh?"

Sebastian cleared his throat as he retracted his hand. "Think of it this why; now that you're awake and conscious in the real world, your mind is beginning to register that everything it thought was real isn't, and so is deconstructing that world, bit by bit, because somewhere in your subconscious, you know that world isn't real – therefore, to you, that world is dead. Non existent; unimportant."

Ciel considered what he was saying. He'd lain awake the night before for a long time; long after he could hear the soft, rhythmic breathing of Sebastian asleep next to him. As he'd stared up at the ceiling, he'd tried so hard to believe that this was the dream. This was just the hallucination, and that at any moment he'd wake up, in Hell, as a demon himself again. He vaguely recalled the dream he'd had the night before – he'd been sitting in an old, antique chair, cushioned in red velvet and upholstered in rich dark mahogany. Standing at his side had been Sebastian; or, at least, a shadow that seemed to be Sebastian.

A man dressed completely white had approached him, carrying a simple black box. He had bowed at Ciel's feet, and, on one knee, had presented the box to him. But he warned Ciel – he could only make one decision. Open the box, or leave it closed.

"Embrace, or turn away."

"What was that?" Sebastian asked, sounding surprised, and Ciel shook himself from his reverie.

"Huh?"

Sebastian smiled to himself. "Seems like you were day dreaming. Did something I say get to you?"

"O-oh, no, not really," Ciel ducked beneath his fringe to stop the doctor from seeing the slight blush. "I was just…thinking about something."

"That's some rather hard thinking you were doing," Sebastian remarked with a smirk as the door to their ward opened, and Bardroy looked in. "Yes, Bard?"

The blonde man had a concerned look on his face. "We could have trouble. Apparently Doctor Red's having some trouble with a couple of men dressed in dark suits down in the hospital foyer; says they've got the reek of Dispatch all over 'em."

Ciel rocketed to his feet. "What do we do?"

"_You_ stay here," Sebastian said firmly, before getting to his feet himself and moving stiffly across the room to Bardroy. He set a hand on Bardroy's shoulder and whispered something into the mans ear. Bard's eyes widened for a moment.

"You're not serious – "

"Oh I'm dead serious, Bardroy. Now go." Sebastian said, giving the blonde a small shove of encouragement out the door before turning back to Ciel. "Wait here."

"B-but – hey, wait!" Ciel cried as Sebastian began to step into the hallway after the sound of Bardroy's footfall racing away. "Where are you going?"

The dark haired doctor looked down at him, his eyes narrowed with concern. "We may have to move quickly. Stay here and wait for me, all right? I'll be just downstairs for a moment. Bardroy's going to try and hold them off from getting up here. Please, Ciel, _trust me_."

Ciel stopped, and without another word, Sebastian closed the door, and moments later, there was the sound of the lock on the door handle latching shut.

"H-hey!" Ciel grabbed at the doorknob and twisted, but the door was very firmly shut from the outside. Pressing his ear to the wood, he heard Sebastian say quietly.

"I'll be right back for you."

And then, the sound of Sebastian's limping footsteps disappeared down the hallway in pursuit of Bardroy's. Ciel was left, standing pressed against the door. Locked in. Moments passed and minutes followed, and he slowly managed to relax enough to step away from the door. His heart was pounding in his ears, but he tried his hardest to keep his breathing calm. It didn't stop every breath he took from trembling.

Pacing quickly around the room, he looked for possible hiding places if need be. Under the bed seemed far too obvious, and there was literally nowhere in the ensuite bathroom to hide. The cupboard that the ward had was empty save for a few spare blankets and there was no point in trying to hide under them. In agitation, he realized that the room was just too clean. There was nothing to use as a weapon, either, he noted, since even the pen on the table was far too inadequate.

Just as he was about to begin cursing under his breath, footsteps came running to the door, and someone fumbled with the lock before the door flew open. Ciel prepared himself to be caught by a handful of Dispatch officers, but it was Madame Red who burst in.

"Oh my God!" she cried. "You're all right, thank God!"

"What's happening?" Ciel asked quickly as she ran to embrace him. "What's going on?"

"Dispatch officers," Madame Red breathed, panting from running. "They're on their way up. I don't think Bardroy can stop them."

Somewhere down the hall, Ciel could hear shouting. There were several bangs and crashes – not gunshots, but more like the sound of tables being over turned or chairs crashing into one another. The sounds were coming from the base of the stairwell.

"We have to get you out of here," Angeline said quickly, looking around.

"We can't get out via the stairs," Ciel replied. "And there's nowhere else."

He looked around again, just as a soft breeze hit his arm. Madame Red was frantically searching, as he had done just minute previously, for a hiding place.

"Wait a moment…"

**-:-**

With a loud crash, the door into the ward swung open, and three men in dark suits ran into the room. Ciel could hear their yells of alarm as they saw the situation.

"Whoa!"

"Ma'am – please, back away!"

"_No!_" Madame Red cried, unable to look over her shoulder at them. "Don't come any closer!"

From his position, Ciel could feel the wind swaying him gently from side to side. He let go of one of his aunts arms, reaching out for the ledge. He was dangled precariously out the window, and if he could reach the ledge that was just a few more inches away from his grasp, he could hide under the eaves. It would be that simple.

"Ma'am," one of the Dispatch officers was saying, struggling to keep his voice calm. "It's all right – just come away from the window."

"I said, back off!" Angeline shrieked. "If you take one step closer, I swear I'll let myself fall!"

Ciel was so glad that he knew his aunt. Her bluff was fairly convincing – and the officers didn't need to know that she was aiding in Ciel's escape. Once he was safely on the ledge, she could get back inside and deal with the officers. Then, once they'd gone, she would help him back up afterwards. The plan was foolproof. He just had to reach that damn ledge –

With a small grunt of effort, Ciel tried to swing himself closer to grab the ledge, making Madame Red yelp in surprise and their grip on each others arms loosened just a fraction – Ciel couldn't help but cry out as he slipped dangerously down, his finger desperately clinging to his aunts wrist.

"What was that?" he heard one of the Dispatch officers say. Suddenly, a face appeared out of the window in the room next door to the ward Ciel and Sebastian shared. The young mans face went from surprise to shock to horror.

"Oh, my!" he cried, and Ciel glanced over just in time to see who it was – he knew that face. The face who had died to save him.

The Dispatch officer's name was Alan Humphries.

"Whaddaya see?" One of the other officers called, and Ciel took a guess that it was Alan's partner, Eric Slingby – after all, if Alan was still alive in this reality, there was no reason for Eric to not be too. The two Shinigami had died trying to save and each other; Alan trying to atone for Eric's sins, and Eric trying to grant Alan freedom from the only death possible for a Shinigami.

"She's got the boy! Hanging out the window!" Alan yelled, before reaching his arms out to Ciel. "Here, kid! Give me your hand!"

Ciel nearly spat a remark back in Alan's face, when he realized that Alan's expression was genuine concern for him; Ciel risked a glance down. The busy street below them was an unforgiving bed of cold, hard pavement. Ciel _would_ die if he were to lose his grip on his aunt.

"_Please_, Ciel Phantomhive!" Alan called. "You can trust me! I won't hurt you – I can help you!"

Ciel was about to reply when someone suddenly grabbed Angeline from behind; his aunt cried out in shock and Ciel yelped as her grip loosened again – his palm was sweaty, and he was slipping.

"Ciel!" Madame Red screamed desperately, and Ciel cried out in alarm as he saw Eric Slingby appear in the window beside his aunt.

"Look out!"

Madame Red's attention was snatched away for just a second as Eric went to grab her to ensure she wouldn't fall, and it was in that moment that Ciel's hold on her wrist failed – with a stifled scream, Ciel flailed wildly – his hand only just managing to catch hold of the ledge. Grappling with it, he could hear the yells of everyone around him, Alan hanging out the other window and even some people in the street below him as they caught sight of the mayhem.

"Ciel – Ciel!" Angeline was shrieking as Eric hauled her back into the safety of the room, but she tried to wriggle from his grip to reach out to Ciel. "Hold on, Ciel!"

"Are you hurt?" Alan called, and Ciel managed to shake his head no – but every fibre of his being was trembling, shuddering from the adrenaline and the fear that was coursing through his body. This was not going according to plan.

"S-Sebastiaaan!" Ciel hollered weakly. It only made him feel a little better, considering the situation – he doubted that Sebastian had heard him though.

"Wait there – don't move," Alan instructed. "I'm going to get help!"

Alan disappeared from the other window and Angeline was still trying to desperately reach for Ciel as he swung dangerously from the ledge, his hands only holding onto the ledge by its corner. He swallowed shallowly as he felt himself slip a little more.

"Oh," was all he managed to say before his fingers slipped off the concrete ledge, and he fell.

He heard Madame Red screaming, saw her horrified face. The wind caught his hair and whipped it across his skin as he began to plummet. He had never even got to say –

"I gotcha!" the voice caught in his head as he fell into strong, capable arms, and Ciel's descent stopped as abruptly as it had begun. He was hanging out of the hospital room below his wards via the small balcony alcove, over the edge of the railing and into the room. Stunned, he found himself looking up into the face of Sebastian, and holding onto him from behind was Grell, looking anxiously over his shoulder.

"Se-Sebastian!" Ciel gasped as Sebastian quickly pulled him up and over the railing before ducking into the hospital room just as they heard the yells of alarm and shock from Alan and Eric above them.

"He fell! Eric, _he's gone_!"

"_Damn_! Get down to the ground floor – we gotta get to the kids body!" Eric's muffled yell responded, and overhead Ciel could hear their pounding footsteps as the two agents headed for the stairs. Without skipping a single beat, Sebastian immediately carried Ciel over to nearest door – which lead to a broom cupboard.

"Hide. They see you here with us and you're toast," he said briefly to Grell, who nodded and disappeared into the hospital wards bathroom. Sebastian let Ciel down and pulled the door to the cupboard to just as Ciel heard Alan and Eric sprint passed the ward – neither of them even paused to check the room. Even so, Sebastian kept Ciel there for several agonizingly long minutes after the sound of their footsteps had disappeared, and Ciel found himself clinging to the panting, dark haired doctor, trembling all over.

"Are you all right?" Sebastian murmured softly, and Ciel nodded slowly, and Sebastian's hand patted him gently on the back, rubbing soothing circles over his shoulder blades. "It's okay. You're okay."

"I-I had no…no idea you…you w-were there," Ciel stammered, his heart still pounding, feeling like it was going to burst right out of his chest. He'd never felt so glad to be so near Sebastian before. He'd never had to worry about being in danger before; but the knowledge that Sebastian was just as human as he was truly terrifying.

"I heard you call," Sebastian replied quietly, and Ciel pressed his face into Sebastian's clothes, inhaling the warm, musky scent that was the doctor. "I told you to trust me, didn't I?"

Ciel nodded against Sebastian's chest, before suddenly realizing something.

"W-wait – what about…your arm – " Through the crack of space between the cupboard door and the wall, a thin beam of light shone through; Ciel looked up at Sebastian's arm – his shirt sleeve was slowly staining in the dark shadow of blood.

"A few ripped stitches, I'd say," the doctor said, wincing as he moved it gently. "It happens."

"Because you did something as foolish as try to catch me," Ciel objected, and Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him in the dark.

"If I hadn't, you would have fallen to your death. Grell may not have been fast enough to catch you in my place."

Ciel paused, realizing that his argument was invalid. "…True."

There was a soft rap of knuckles on the cupboard door. "If you two have quite finished, you can come out now," Grell said, and Sebastian pushed open the door, letting Ciel step slowly out into the light. Madame Red appeared in the hospital wards doorway, her expression going from terrified to overwhelming relief.

"Ciel!" she cried, running to him and scooping him up into her arms. Ciel found himself wrapping his arms around her shoulders, hugging her back as hard as he could. He couldn't remember a time when he'd done that – not with such gratitude at being able to see her, at any rate.

"Angeline," he breathed, still not quite comfortable with addressing her as 'aunty' yet.

"Darling, I was so scared when I saw you fall – I thought you'd died – oh, Ciel," wet patches began to form on Ciel's shoulders, and he realized that Madame Red was crying, her sobs wracking her body. He held her a little tighter. Over her shoulder, he could see Grell doing a quick check on Sebastian's arm – the agent had tugged Sebastian's shirt down his arm so he could have a look.

"Ouch," Grell said sympathetically. "And Madam's beautiful stitch work is ruined. Looks like you'll need to get sewn up again."

"Pity," Sebastian sighed, looking at his ruined shirt. "I quite liked this one, too."

Grell gave him a flirty grin. "Well, maybe when I get a day off and you're not saving the kids life all day we can go shopping and I'll buy you a new one – on me."

Ciel watched the two of them chuckle over that, and he wondered if they'd always been like this. Not constantly at each other throats, just sometimes sharing a small, relieved laugh after a close scrape – almost appearing to be friends. But he remembered Sebastian's words about Grell; he was untrustworthy at best. Ciel was pulled from his train of thought as his aunt let him go and stood up.

"I'd – uh, I'd better be getting back down stairs; no doubt everything's in chaos at the moment," she said, wiping a hand across her eyes.

"We'll have to be going, then," Sebastian said, but she shook her head.

"No – it'll be dangerous for you to go out just yet. Once they discover that there's no body down there they'll think Ciel escaped somehow and will be searching all over for him. Stay here," she said, her tone almost pleading.

"And besides, Bass," Grell gave Sebastian a small nudge and a wink. "You need to get patched up again, after all."

With a sigh, Sebastian looked to Ciel. "How do you feel about staying put for just a little longer?"

Ciel let himself smile; it still felt odd, but he was getting used to it. He looked from Sebastian, to Grell and to Madame Red.

"Well, I wouldn't want to leave without properly saying goodbye," he said softly, looking thoughtfully at his aunt, who smiled back through the last of her tears. "After all, I need to finish that list. There's a few names I need to add."

Sebastian nodded, smiling that same smile that he could never forget.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

When I said in my last AfterNote that things would be getting interesting, what I MEANT to say was that things would get overly dramatic and that Ciel would fall off a building. Of course, I didn't want to spoil it all for you so I had to make it sound more exciting that I actually managed to write it to be =_=.

However, all I can say now is a big shout out to Taisuke Saeki and Shinya Matsumoto, the two handsome Japanese guys who brought Eric Slingby and Alan Humphries to life, you friggin' gorgeous hunks of manly man meat you. I'm a big softie for Eric and Alan – they work so well together, and using them as potential baddies here with Alan having a soft spot for every fucking thing that breathes is just fabulous. They'll definitely be making repeat appearances.

So. When does the exciting stuff like finding Ciel's parents and taking down the Hospital start to happen? _VERY_ good question, guys, for I'm a little uncertain about that one myself. So I suppose you'll just have to review and scream at me for more, won't you? ;) You know where the review button is.

_- Mercy_


	14. Chapter Thirteen

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

**_Author: _**_AoUsagi_

**_Summary: _**_Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

**_BeforeNote:_**

It seems like forever yet I know it's at least been a week. My internet's been used up for the month so I'm using this crappy telstra prepaid stick thingy to bring you lovelies this little update.

And in this chapter, ANOTHER character is properly introduced! 8D stop me now; there are still at least another 13 characters to be brought into the story. (Only stop me if you don't want any more updates, yo!)

Aaaarrrghsdalsdadble I'm so very tired. I need some good, long, decent sleep. Unfortunately, I've recently discovered some music that tops every chart of awesomeness, and often spend too much time listening to it and not doing anything useful.

That and, in between everything else that's been going on, there has been Skyrim.

Lots and LOTS of Skyrim.

_- Mercy_

**…**

_All of you, I command you. Open another tab, go to YouTube, and look up "Winterspell" by Two Steps from Hell, from the Skyworld soundtrack. THAT THING IS FUCKING BLISS ON A STICK._

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen:** Love me. Hate me. Take me. Break me.

-:-

The Dispatch officers had searched the building another two times before being puzzled enough about the mysterious disappearing body of Ciel that had quite clearly fallen from the window yet was nowhere to be found on the street below before finally giving up and heading away. Ciel had watched them leave from the same window that only half an hour ago he'd been dangling from. Madame Red had suggested that while the officers conduct their search, he and Sebastian hide up on the roof, and so he and the doctor had sat up on the rooftop of the hospital overlooking the rest of London, the breeze and the clouds in the sky creating a rather melancholy atmosphere.

At least he was calm now, Ciel reminded himself. It had taken a while for him to start breathing properly again from the adrenaline rush, and Madame Red had said he'd been close to having a panic attack despite being safe. Just to be sure, she'd left him and Sebastian on the roof with a portable nebuliser, a piece of equipment that Sebastian explained would help him to breathe properly with the help of some foul-smelling medicine that made his throat taste terrible.

The rest of the afternoon passed with relative peace; no one else tried to hunt them down and no one climbed out any more windows. Ciel was kept in isolation from any of the other patients, tucked away in the private ward with Mey-Rin and Finnian for company, who'd come as soon as they'd heard the news. Bardroy had headed back to the hotel to make sure Pluto wasn't by himself in case anything happened.

"That's not a word," Mey-Rin objected, and Ciel looked down at the word he'd just spelled out.

They were playing Scrabble. Bardroy had brought the game with him, and Finnian and Mey-Rin had insisted that Ciel be taught how to play merely on the basis that if they didn't entertain him somehow, he would go spare from being cooped up – Sebastian had taken a turn to stay on guard just outside the door.

"Oh," Ciel replied, a little lamely. "Uh…" he rearranged the letters so they spelt something else. "Better?"

Mey-Rin gave him a smile. "Yup," she said, before stretching and looking at the clock. It was six thirty. The sun was beginning to disappear among the towering buildings of the city and the darkness was beginning to set in.

Finni watched Ciel for a moment before speaking.

"You're not really paying attention, are you?" he asked, and Ciel blinked, dropping the letter piece that he'd been flipping over in his fingers.

"Hmm? Oh – no, not really," he admitted a little sheepishly, not wanting to hurt their feelings. But the two of them merely smiled.

"It's okay," Mey-Rin said, and Finni suppressed a yawn. "It's been a long day and it's understandable if you're restless."

"Just don't let me go for a walk," Ciel smirked, and they both gave him a surprised look before getting the joke and dissolving into laughter. They heard Sebastian clear his throat outside, and they quieted.

"It won't be long now," Finni reassured Ciel with a smile, his big, blue eyes holding nothing but honesty. "Doctor Red says just a few more days of bed rest for you and Sebastian and you'll be ready to go."

Ciel let out a sigh as he took a look out at the darkening horizon out the window. It was going to be a _long_ few more days.

**-:-**

Grell Sutcliff wasn't often a busy man.

He preferred to shoulder off his workload wherever possible – but this particular little mission couldn't be handed off to some junior worker or another agent. If anyone else knew about this, he would be fired. Or, more likely, shot on sight.

Stepping passed his boss' office; Grell took a quick glance around before ducking inside. The office was well lit, the fluorescent lights casting the office in a calming, almost blue-ish glow. There was a cabinet in the corner for neatly stacking and filing away important documents and folders, a wastepaper basket, and a small, cheesy little pot-plant on the windowsill. Grell smirked to himself – he knew that, if his boss had anything to do with it, that pot-plant would be sailing out the door of his office faster than a terrified junior agent on his first mission.

In the dead centre of the room across from the door and towards the back of the carpeted office, sat his boss' mahogany desk. It had a simple array of things on it – a flat screen computer, a stack of forms, and a penholder with several pens and the occasional pencil in it. There was nothing personal on the desk – no photo frame of any family, no coffee cup, nothing to personalize the fact that, every single day, Grell's superior would sit here and do any left over paperwork from the night before, apart from the simple, heavy weight brass plaque that sat at the head of the desk facing those who entered and stood before him. The plaque read one name.

William T Spears.

Grell ignored it as he slid behind the desk and deftly removed a hairpin that had been tucked away behind his ear. Kneeling by the draws to William's desk, he slowly jiggled the hairpin into the lock of the top draw – in there was what Grell needed. He kept one eye on the door – he'd taken the opportunity to slip away from the commotion downstairs to have a quick pry in Will's office. William was, after all, preoccupied with the whole incident of the body of the disappearing Phantomhive boy. No doubt, Grell smirked to himself, he was berating Slingby and Humphries for their failure to apprehend the boy _or_ recover his remains.

The lock popped with a soft click, and he dragged the hairpin free of the mechanism before pulling open the draw. In it, he saw a few more office necessities – a manila folder, a few pieces of assorted stationary, and, right at the back, tucked away under a box of staples, there was a key. Grell reached in, gingerly removing the box of staples and placing them carefully to one side before letting his long, manicured fingers grasp the key and drag it from the draw. With a triumphant grin, Grell turned and headed towards the cabinet that stood in the corner of the office. The locked cabinet was open in a matter of seconds.

"Will should really invest in a locked safe of sorts," Grell murmured to himself in amusement as he quickly rifled through the folders. He was looking for one name in particular – a name that, he very quickly discovered, wasn't there.

"Damn."

"Looking for something, Sutcliff?"

Grell whirled, his eyes wide, and he saw William standing at the doorway, readjusting his glasses.

"Uh – oh! _Will_! Uh – ha-ha, fancy seeing _you_ here, I mean – " the redhead stammered as his boss sighed in exasperation.

"Fancy indeed," William T Spears said, his tone flat. "Especially since this is my office."

He stepped into the room, and Grell swallowed hard – he was busted. Will would drill him dry about this. Before he had time to come up with a plausible excuse, however, William was already standing at the desk, examining his unlocked draw.

"Seems I'll have to invest in some better locks." He said, eyeing Grell coldly. "What on earth do you think you're looking for in there?"

"Uh – p-public…records…?" Grell said hopefully, quickly pushing the cabinet draw shut and palming the key up his sleeve. William, looking incredibly unamused, held out his hand. Grell sighed in defeat and handed him the key, which William replaced inside the draw before closing it and locking it again with a key of his own.

"Really. Now, what were you really doing snooping through my office uninvited?" the dark haired superior asked, and Grell let his shoulders fall. He couldn't deny William – he'd known the man ever since they'd been in college together. One night in a dark alley had begun their path to destruction; the becoming of government agents only to have to break away from their benefactors due to the corruption of under-the-table dealings amongst those who'd first funded them. One night of being just a little _too_ drunk, Grell remembered vaguely.

"_Fine_," he sighed again. "I was looking for some of the files on the Hospital. More specifically, on the Keinz boy."

William readjusted his glasses – his version of complete astonishment.

"The Keinz boy?" he repeated, and Grell heard a hint of surprise in his voice. "You know fully well that those records are kept hidden for a reason, Sutcliff. They're under a lock and key tighter than anything you've ever picked with a hair accessory. Why are you even interested in them, anyway?"

Grell shrugged, getting back a little confidence. He'd managed to catch William off guard – perhaps honesty wasn't such a stupid thing after all. Of course, telling Will the whole truth was off limits. Grell may be a deadly efficient operative, but he wasn't deadly dumb.

"Well, you know – with the whole thing going down about the Phantomhive brat," he said, letting a small, sly smile creep over his features. "I was curious as to a bit more of the backstory behind the others who were involved."

William raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon the cliché, Grell, but curiosity is what killed the cat." He replied, deadpan. "I can't allow you to see those archives. It's strictly forbidden and you know it. Not even I have access to them."

"B-but you were heading up the case!" Grell was startled – it had been Will's bread and butter nearly four years ago; the biggest scam of the century, about to be unveiled. "Surely you'd at least know where they're kept – "

"Forget it."

"Please?"

"You honestly think begging will help?"

Grell pouted. "Come on, Will. I just want to know a bit more about the Keinz boy."

His superior's eyes narrowed behind his black-framed glasses.

"His name is Drocell Keinz. He grew up in an orphanage til he was four, at which time he was adopted into a family under the name of Mandalay. He is twenty-two years old, was a protégée genius and out of high school at the age of fourteen. He spent four years studying neurology and psychology in a double-diploma at university because becoming a psychotherapist. He was wrangled into working for the Hospital for about a year before the experimentation began. He was forced to use his skills to manipulate children's memories and, upon realizing how wrong it all was, tried to end the trial experiments but was abused and tossed out by the heads of the company, expected to crawl into a hole and die." William's tone was completely flat as he reeled off the information without so much as blinking, and Grell's jaw dropped.

"H-hey, if you know it all then why is the information so secret?" he asked, and William shrugged as he took his seat behind his desk, and Grell came to stand in front of him.

"Because I was there." His boss replied. "I was the one to bring the boy in."

"Well if we've got this stuff, then why the hell aren't we throwing this wide open?" Grell waved his arms in the air. "This is huge! This is even bigger than that incident with the church and that mob of crazy purists!"

"Because who is going to believe the words of a rogue government agency who are taking the word of a half-insane therapist turned delusional head case?" William shot right back, and Grell sighed, realizing he was right. "Besides," Will continued. "We don't have enough information. If we really wanted to throw this out into the open, we'd need solid proof. And for that we'd need at least one of the test subjects and their 'Keepers' as I hear they're called."

"Being…"

"Being the Phantomhive boy and his Keeper, Doctor Michaelis. Both of whom were rumoured to be dead. Until now." William finished, and Grell swallowed – he knew that Will would stop at nothing to get his hands on those two. This was where he began to tread thin ice with his boss.

"Right."

William sighed and leant forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on his thumbs as his intertwined his fingers. There was a moment of quiet before he spoke again.

"Sutcliff?"

"Yessir?" Grell looked up from where his gaze had fallen to the carpet. It was an intriguing shade of blue with small red flecks running through it.

"Why are you so interested in the Keinz boy?"

Grell shifted nervously from foot to foot – this was the moment when it was do or die. Lie blatantly or tell the truth. Thankfully, Grell had become incredibly good at lying. He gave William a small smile.

"It's been at least two years since the kids seen sunlight properly, hasn't it? Wouldn't it be nice if he were able to just go home for once? Just for, say, an afternoon?"

William narrowed his eyes.

"What are you thinking?"

Grell leant down onto the desk, lowering his eyes so he was looking down his nose at William. "I'm asking you to give him a little break."

William raised a hand and very slowly pushed Grell back and out of his personal space. "You're thinking of using him as bait."

Grell's whole façade fell crashing to the floor – how Will had known, he would never know. This was bad.

"I don't know how or where the Keeper would get information on the Keinz boy, Grell, but they're both directly tied to the Hospital case." William said matter-of-factly. "But if the Keeper knows about Keinz, then he'll want to approach him and see if he can unlock the boys memories. It's simple logic when you look at it."

"T-that's right!" Grell said, deciding to pick up the pace again; perhaps he could work a way around this. "And so, you know – wouldn't it make sense? You want the Keeper and the little test subject, so why not dangle Keinz out in the open for them to see?"

William gave him a look. "And who exactly would be working this particular little mission?"

Grell gave him a flirtatious wink – he hoped his nervousness wasn't showing. "Why, _me_, of course."

There was a moment of silence. For a split second, Grell was convinced that William had seen straight through his attempts to cover his lies and was going to realize that Grell was working for both sides. For just a moment, Grell feared the handgun that was concealed within William's coat, in a holster strap around his shoulders.

"Fine."

Sweating bullets, Grell looked down to see William turning away from him, swivelling his chair around to look out the window of the office. The blinds were drawn down, but they were parted to give a slotted view of the city alight with colours and lights this late at night. Grell stared back at his own stunned reflection.

"S-sir?"

"Go ahead." William said simply. "Bait the Keeper into trying to contact Keinz; he probably doesn't know that we have Keinz in custody at the moment, which is a point in our favour. Apprehend the Keeper as soon as he makes an appearance – but only and _only_ if he has the boy with him. Bring them both in."

Grell couldn't believe it. He'd both saved and damned Sebastian at the same time. Thankfully, though, this little escapade didn't in any way conflict with the Judas contract. That much was good news.

"Right." He said, letting out a silent breath of relief before heading for the door of William's office. "Oh, and Will?"

William was still gazing out the window, not even bothering to turn to Grell. Grell knew that he could see his reflection well enough.

"What, Sutcliff?"

"You won't have to worry about sending in any back up. I can manage this by myself."

Grell waited for William to reply, knowing that this little detail was as critical as the rest of it. So long as he was allowed to escort Keinz by himself and without anyone else from the Dispatch watching, he'd have nothing to worry about. And Sebastian would never have to know that this whole ordeal went down at all.

After a moment, William finally sighed, a mixture of what sounded to be tiredness and exasperation – the redhead couldn't quite tell which was more prominent.

"Very well. Just don't fail like Humphries and Slingby did today."

Grell let his usual smile return.

"Of course, sir."

**-:-**

Two more days passed with the same sluggish nature of that of the snail that Ciel was currently watching crawl its way slowly across the windowsill. He'd been watching it for and hour – watching as it eased itself ever so unhurriedly along, leaving behind a long, glistening trail of clear slime in its wake.

He snuck a glance at the clock that hung on the wall opposite the two hospital beds. It was barely even five minutes since he'd last looked. Suppressing a frustrated groan, he glared at the snail again. Watching the city no longer interested him, and cloud-watching was only entertaining for so long.

Mey-Rin, Bardroy and Finni had been taking turns on coming to visit, ensuring that there were always at least two of them occupying the hotel room that was their safe house in case anything happened. Pluto had returned and was on guard during the night-time, before disappearing in the morning with Bardroy usually replacing him as he went back to sleep.

Madame Red had been in and out, often brandishing X-ray sheets or some such paperwork for Sebastian to read. Grell hadn't been around since the incident with the Dispatch – and merely out of boredom did Ciel wonder what had happened to the flirtatious redhead.

And as for Sebastian – Sebastian had often been holed up inside the hospital room with him, and had more often than not been occupying himself with reading or writing. But whatever he wrote, Ciel never caught a glimpse and neither did they discuss it. Whatever it was, it was private. Ciel didn't even bother to try and find out what it was – his growing restlessness and growing agitation was beginning to get the better of him; he hated being cooped up in here. It was starting to feel claustrophobic.

He snuck a glance at the dark haired doctor next to him. Sebastian was, of all things, doing a crossword. A pair of glasses rested on the doctor's nose, his dark red gaze looking over the black and white paper in front of him, his pen tapping on the page as it was held by idle fingers. Ciel studied him for a moment. How could Sebastian be so relaxed? Surely he was beginning to get bored too.

"I want – "

"No."

Ciel sighed in frustration and buried his face into his pillow. He was lying on his stomach, propped up on his elbows so he could look up and around him. The tone of Sebastian's voice was, indeed, bored, and Ciel gazed at him for a moment longer. Then, a thought came to mind.

" – A – "

"I said no."

A smile tugged at Ciel's lips. Sebastian's voice was distracted – he wasn't really listening to him at all. He wondered just what he could say to stir Sebastian up. Suddenly, he had it.

" – Kitten."

"I _said_ – what?" Sebastian looked up at him, his eyes a little dazed and unfocussed, but he'd obviously caught on what Ciel had said, but hadn't got the context. Ciel muffled a small laugh. "What?"

"I knew it." Ciel rolled over onto his back, clutching the white pillow to his chest as he gazed up at the ceiling, a triumphant smile on his face. "Even here, even now, you're an cat person."

Sebastian cleared his throat and sighed in exasperation – Ciel didn't need to look over to see that the doctor was rolling his eyes, unamused and obviously catching on to Ciel's playful ruse. He set down the crossword book.

"Of course I am." He replied. "Dogs are so…so eager to please. Unless they're not trained right. Then all manner of things could go wrong."

"So what makes cats so good in comparison?" Ciel asked lazily, and Sebastian smiled a little.

"They have minds of their own and don't need to be told what to do, when or where. You can house train a cat, but it's up to them to allow you to keep them." He said. "And anyway – they're creatures of grace and beauty."

"Dogs can be graceful."

"Dogs have been used throughout history to hunt and kill." Sebastian retorted. "They have been trained to fight and trained to lie subserviently at a masters feet. They don't think for themselves if they think someone may set down food for them. They're too… to predictable."

"And cats aren't?" Ciel asked, his eyebrows raised. He wasn't particularly into this topic of conversation but at least it beat the silence of boredom. "Besides. Cat's hunt birds and mice and stuff, don't they? And I've heard of circus' that use big cats in their cats."

"Cats know what they want and how to get it, despite being 'owned' by man." The doctor replied. "Not all cats chase birds and vermin such as mice. And the use of big cats and other large animals such as elephants in circus' has been banned in most countries these days because of the cruelty to animals act."

"And yet they're still kept in captivity," Ciel pointed out. "I remember hearing something about a zoological garden and how they keep lions and elephants and monkeys and the like. Bard was watching it on TV that first day at the hotel safe house."

"That's because those creatures have been bred in captivity," Sebastian countered. "The hunting and capturing of animals from the wild these days is forbidden because of many low species counts. The animals you see in zoo's these days have been born there, as were the majority of their predecessors. If you were to let those animals loose, they wouldn't go around attacking people – they'd go around asking to be fed. They've been hand-fed and kept for their whole lives, and wouldn't know any better."

Ciel was about to retort, but suddenly, he fell silent. A thought had struck him.

_Like rats in a lab._

"Ciel?"

"It's nothing." Ciel mumbled, rolling over onto his side so he didn't have to look at Sebastian. "I was just thinking of something."

The thought of being born and bred in captivity like those animals in zoos was quite similar in Ciel's mind to be kept in isolation tanks and having ones mind manipulated into thinking that you were a whole different person in a whole different world. What would it be like for a chimpanzee to escape from a zoo, only to find out that everything it had dreamt the wild to be like, was really just a phantom memory when the real world was so built up with brick and stone and steel into a wilderness of human evolution? A lion would have nowhere to hunt for food, and wouldn't have the first clue of how to use a restaurant or café.

Something made a small _plop_ on the pillow now beneath his head, and Ciel was startled to see that it was, in fact, a tear.

Those things were _exactly_ like waking up thinking that you lived in a world that in reality no longer existed.

There was the click of the door behind them, and Ciel sat up, quickly brushing a hand across his eyes to rid them of any more tears that threatened to fall before anyone could see. Turning around, he saw Sebastian also watching the door as it creaked open. Pluto leant in to push the door open for the newcomer.

"Grell." Sebastian greeted him dryly, and the redhead wore his usual flirty smile as he slipped into the ward. He flashed a manila folder at Sebastian from where it was tucked into his red jacket. The grin he wore was one of triumph.

"We're in." he said. "It's go time, boys." forget.

**-:-**

* * *

**_AfterNote:_**

I've actually always wanted to drop a cliff-hanger like that. "IT'S GO TIME!" I blame the smut. It's everywhere.

This chapter took a little longer than usual to write, mainly because I've been working my ass off around the house and being otherwise laaazzyyyyyy when I'm being otherwise unproductive. And last weekend was truly chaotic; there was a great country book sale on in town with all the reject books from libraries around the state, and I was a volunteer. Meant that I got first dibs on any books I want! *hee hee, collecting ALL the mangas~*

That and my other excuse for not writing this any quicker is ponies. My Little Pony, Procrastination is Magic. I've been drawing too many ponies and all my other artsy skills have dried up and gone on vacation somewhere. Presumably to Smut-Land, and when they come back all I'll be able to draw is smut for WEEEKS. But you'll hang, won't ya? Hang in there – chapter fourteen is well on its way.

That and my internet ran out for the month again. Fuuuuuuck me.

_- Mercy_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

**_Author: _**_AoUsagi_

**_Summary: _**_Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

**_BeforeNote:_**

So I started writing this chapter before chapter 13 went up, mainly because my internet is STILL sucking more balls through a garden hose that I'd care to count.

HOWEVER I SHALL PREVAIL. It won't get the better of this bitch.

I kinda forgot to mention this about two chapters or so back, but **YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING AWESOME. OVER A HUNDRED REVIEWS**. (Currently my second most-read story here. You guys kick ass. Every single one of you.)

I'd love to reach 1000 reviews with this story, but I'm not sure if we'll make it that far; I got halfway with My Autistic Brother XDD and people STILL review that old thing! (Oh my, Mello's aging well.)

Guinness is alive and well, thank you for those who inquired.

I should be asleep right now because I've got such a big work day ahead of me tomorrow but fuck it's only 11 PM and I can get in just a little bit of writing and-OH FUCK ME I AM OWL.

I also apologize to all who picked up on my grammatical error at the very end of the last chapter. I think I was copy+pasting the AfterNote design from a previous chapter or something. Just…just ignore that "forget", okay?

_- Mercy_

**…**

_The title of this chapter title was inspired from another Kuroshitsuji fanfiction I read recently for a good friend; the simple use of the word 'debonair' made me think, oooh, that's a fantastic juicy word. Mmmmmmm. SO._

_This chapter in it's ENTIRITY is dedicated with heart and soul to__** griffin-queen-of-the-skies**__, because you really inspired me to write some detailed shit about how I work my writing. You made me think. That's…that's no easy task. My teachers in school had a really hard time accomplishing it. But you knocked me off my feet, dude – you're the best. So please lemme dedicate this chappie to you and let EVERYONE ELSE KNOW that you all should skadoodle over to her profile and stalk her Kuroshitsuji fics because they're so full of yummy squishy emotions and I couldn't help but fangirl over two in particular that she asked me to read – "Let Me Count the Ways" and "I'd Rather Be Damned With You". _

_GO READ THEM. DEVOUR THAT DEBONAIR DELICIOUSNESS. Right after you've read this, course ;)_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen:** Doll and Dog: The Debonair Duo

**-:-**

"This is what he meant by 'go time', huh?" Ciel asked, shifting a little nervously in his seat. Sebastian cast a cautious glance around them, doing a sweep of the immediate area for any possible threats.

"Indeed." The dark haired doctor nodded, keeping his voice low. "He should be here any moment."

It had been three days since Grell Sutcliff had burst into their hospital room announcing that he'd managed to obtain the files concerning the psychotherapist and had even convinced his boss to allow the nutcase a day of supervised freedom in which Ciel and Sebastian could get more information on the Hospital from him. The boy's name was Drocell Keinz. Ciel remembered him as a puppet, and Sebastian had confirmed it – Drocell had been one of the Hospital's greatest assets, apparently, because of his incredible gift with mind manipulation.

The thing was, the Dispatch had a long, slow chain of processes that prevented them from being able to meet with Drocell for at least three days, in which the boy was to be analysed and confirmed to be safe to be allowed to walk on his own with an accompanying bodyguard – namely, Grell himself. Who had lots of forms to fill in to be allowed to perform such an act.

Why it had all taken three days, Ciel was unsure, but it was long enough to make him jumpy about the whole meeting. He sternly had to remind himself that this had been his idea in the first place, so he might as well go through with it. After all, he also thought, Sebastian was here. And Sebastian had promised to keep him safe.

So had Pluto.

The young silver haired man was sitting in the passenger seat beside Sebastian, who had driven them to this spot. Ciel was in the backseat, straining against his seatbelt occasionally to see out the windows for any sign of Grell or the psychotherapist. Madame Red had cleared them from hospital after taking another few looks at Sebastian's sprained ankle, which had made a remarkable recovery in just six days. Ciel still couldn't believe he'd been confined to a hospital bed for nearly a week. It was put into perspective, however, when Sebastian reminded him how long he'd spent, completely unaware of it, in an isolation tank.

"There they are."

Ciel was jolted from his reverie by Pluto's low voice from the front, and he peered over Pluto and Sebastian's shoulders and out into the park. They were parked a little way down the street from a park that Grell had stated would be the rendezvous point, and beyond the trees and the colourfully painted children's playground, Ciel could see a red jacket accompanied by a flutter of red hair. Next to Grell was a young man with orange hair shifting from foot to foot. Drocell.

Sebastian nodded and let out a small sigh.

"It's go time." He said, mimicking Grell's words as he unclicked his seatbelt, Pluto and Ciel quickly following suit.

**-:-**

Grell greeted them with his usual flirty smile, but Drocell Keinz just gazed at them blankly. To Ciel, he seemed like nothing more than an empty shell – his eyes half-lidded and a little glazed over, as if he didn't really see them. His shoulders were slumped and his arms had black bands around each other them – Ciel saw a small flashing light on each band. Security measures, no doubt. Sebastian extended a hand to Grell, who took it. They stepped in close and kissed each other's cheek. Ciel was a little surprised at how they were both so compliant – somehow, it seemed that they felt this situation was a lot more serious or dangerous than he had first thought it to be. This, he realized, required a lot of trust on both of their behalves. He knew that Sebastian couldn't afford any slip-ups – it may end up with Ciel being taken away to the Dispatch, or worse.

He was distracted from the exchange between Sebastian and Grell, however, when Pluto suddenly stepped forward. Ciel watched as the silver-haired young man stepped up to Drocell. Neither offered any sort of greeting, nor spoke a single word, but something seemed to light up in Drocell's eyes, something akin to recognition. Then, catching Ciel completely by surprise, Pluto reached out and embraced the orange-haired young man tightly. Drocell stood there awkwardly for a few moments, before he brought his arms up and around Pluto, his gaze now wide-eyed with surprise.

Sebastian coughed meaningfully into his hand, and Pluto pulled back reluctantly, letting Drocell go.

"We should go somewhere where we won't be interrupted," Pluto said softly, and Grell nodded.

"Good thing we're in this neighbourhood. This nutter's place is just a little way away."

Pluto narrowed his eyes and he tensed – for a second, Ciel thought he was about to launch himself at Grell, but Sebastian's hand on his shoulder held him gently yet firmly in place.

"Not now," Ciel heard the dark haired doctor say quietly, and Pluto huffed and glared at Grell some more, but he relaxed slowly. Grell gave him a flirtatious smirk, a look that held victory, as if he'd just had the owner of a vicious hound stop the hound from attacking him, and the owner was apologizing for the dog's bad behaviour. But no words were passed between them as they turned and began to walk slowly out of the park, Ciel trailing at their heels, glancing over his shoulder every so often to make sure they weren't being watched or followed. Sebastian saw his nervous glances, and as they walked, placed a hand gently on his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze, and his knowing eyes calmed Ciel's nerves. But only a little.

It was a warm day, the sun shining in between the clouds that promised later rain, but were high enough that the humidity of the atmosphere wasn't too bad. Ciel walked in Sebastian's shadow, moving quietly and keeping his head down – the doctor had told him before they'd left the hospital that he'd have to keep a low profile for a while now, and it was dangerous enough to be out and walking the streets. Ciel would occasionally look up and glance around him – every wonder about the modern world still amazed him; the cars, the streetlights, the gardens and houses of the suburban area they were making their way through. There was little to no traffic here, only the occasional jogger or random stranger passing them by; Ciel didn't recognize any one of them. Cicadas and crickets were calling among the grasses that ran along the curb of the sidewalk, and every so often a butterfly would lazily flutter passed. No one said a word until they reached the front gate of a house that was set back, away from the rest, but still stood with other homes on either side of it.

The house was rather big, Ciel gave it that much – big and impressive. It was built up on stilts, with a set of wooden stairs and matching rail running up from the paved pathway that lead all the way from the base of the steps to the front gate they now stood at – the gate, fence, and stairs all painted the same deep, bottle green. The house itself was a slate shingled roof, with deep blue timber boards coating its outer surface. It was a grand old house; well maintained for what appeared to have been well over a decade and yet it still managed to look relatively modern. The front veranda hid the front door from view, but Ciel could already imagine what it may look like – deep, dark mahogany painted the same blue as the rest of the house, perhaps darker, with intricate glass panels and iron smoldering running like spider webs through out the glass panes.

Drocell gazed up at the house for a long while before reaching for the latch of the gate. Opening it slowly and gingerly, as if he feared it might break, he stepped inside, holding it open for everyone else to file in after him. Looking around the garden, Ciel saw several rose bushes looking rather untamed and the lawn was slightly overgrown. He spied torn-up flowerbeds running along the side fences of the house, overgrown with weeds after what must have been a year or so of neglect.

Grell dug around in one of his pockets and pulled out a key – a brass, old-fashioned house key which he handed to Drocell, who turned it over and over in his hands, gazing at it numbly, before the young man made his way up the path, scaled the steps with practiced ease, before beckoning them to follow.

"Is he always like this?" Sebastian asked softly, but Pluto shook his head.

"No. He never used to be – I've never seen him this…_dazed_ looking before," he murmured as Grell shrugged with a sigh.

"They messed him up pretty good back there," the redhead said, and they all looked away from Drocell, who was standing on the front porch waiting for them, and they all looked to Grell. "At the Hospital. He came to us like this – traumatized, desensitized from the rest of the world, and pretty much screwed up all round."

He noticed everyone's gaze on him, and held up his hands. "Hey, I just know what my boss told me – anything else is up to him to tell you." He jerked a thumb up at Drocell, and they exchanged glances before heading up to meet the young psychotherapist up on the veranda.

Ciel had been right about the door – it was ornately carved with fractured glass panels adorning it, and Drocell carefully jiggled the key into the lock before it clicked and the door swung open. There was a loud crash from down the hallway and a series of loud barks. A large, tabby-coloured dog came bounding down the hallway, tongue lolling and barking joyously as it pranced around Drocell. The boy dropped to his knees and embraced the excited puppy, and Ciel heard him murmuring things to the dog. Sebastian cleared his throat behind him.

"The dog was left here whilst he was taken into protective custody? For a whole year?" Ciel overheard him ask Grell softly, but Grell chuckled.

"Yeah – I've heard that there's been a couple of kids who throw food over the fence or something. I don't know the full story."

Suddenly, the dog bounded away from Drocell and back down the hall – the sound of voices was approaching, and around the corner came two people Ciel most certainly hadn't expected to see here.

"Edward! Richard!" he exclaimed as the two blonde brothers came down the hall, the dog dancing about their feet. Richard was giggling, preoccupied with the dog, but Edward offered them a friendly smile, extending a hand to Drocell.

"It's nice to see you all again," he said. "I'm glad to see you again especially, Master Keinz – Abby's certainly missed you."

"Yes," Drocell whispered, a small smile spreading on his face as he looked down at the happy animal wagging her tail at his feet. He awkwardly shook Edwards hand.

"Now just _wait a minute_ – what are _you two_ brats doing in here?" Grell asked, looking shocked, but Richard gave him a big, innocent smile.

"The back door's unlocked. Mister Keinz asked us if we'd take care of his dog every few days until he got back." The little boy said, going up to Sebastian and wrapping his arms around the doctors' waist. "And I'm so glad you're here, Sebastian! It's been like for_ever_ since we last saw you!"

"It has been a little while," Sebastian offered the small blonde boy a small smile in return, before looking over at Grell. "You're not to touch either of them, you hear me?"

"Urgh," Grell rolled his eyes. "Don't worry your pin feathers, honey – I wouldn't dream of tryin' to take in these two little trouble makers. They've done enough harm by merely running away from some of the other agents at the Dispatch that they've made a real name for themselves."

Edward grinned, proud and defiant. "It's our pleasure to make sure you lot get the proper exercise you need." He said flippantly, and Grell growled.

"You brat!" the redhead hissed, lashing out at the blonde boy who stepped back nimbly, only to have Drocell's hand slam into Grell's outstretched one, blocking him mid strike.

"I think it is not good to be fighting here. Not here, not now," the young man said softly, gazing at the floor, his eyes looking a little unfocussed. "We are here for other reasons, I am thinking."

Sebastian glared at Grell, who quavered under the doctors' gaze, before turning back and resting a hand on Ciel's shoulder. "Indeed. Perhaps I'll get some tea going, if you'd like, Mister Keinz."

Drocell looked up at Sebastian as if noticing him and Ciel for the very first time, a tinge of pleasant surprise in his soft voice. "Oh my, yes – what a lovely thought. Let us take it in the living room."

Edward and Richard lead the way down the hall and into the kitchen, the dog Abby prancing around their feet and especially around Drocell's legs. Ciel stayed close to Sebastian – he wasn't a big fan of dogs that were half his size. He couldn't remember if he ever had been, and thought back to something about Sebastian mentioning about his family getting a dog at one point. Something tugged at his heart at the thought – this was for them, his mother, his father, the two people he had clear memories of dying in a tragic fire. The two people who could still be alive in this world. Maybe they even missed him. This, he told himself with determination, would help him on his journey to find them. Sebastian had promised him, after all.

Drocell moved slowly throughout the house, looking around and taking everything in, as he hadn't been here in so long – Ciel wondered what sort of sick things the people at the Hospital might have done to him to make him so…out of it. But the young mans eyes were full of wonder, and he was tailed closely by Pluto who he would occasionally turn to and reach out to, and watched even closer by Grell. Security at the Dispatch must be fairly tight for Drocell to have to wear something like those armbands – undoubtedly Grell had some sort of device that would trigger off something like an electric shock if Drocell tried anything. Spending those days cooped up in that hospital ward had made Ciel's boredom so bad that Madame Red had brought up a portable television – on it he'd discovered the wonders of the remote control and channel hopping; one of the programs he'd stumbled across had shown the inner working of a prison and how shock treatment was occasionally used to keep prisoners in line. It saddened him to think of Drocell as a prisoner; then again, he reminded himself, the young orange-haired man always had just been a tool for other people to commandeer.

Sebastian had the kettle going on the stove and was rummaging around in the cupboards to find enough teacups for everyone – Edward and Richard helped by fetching a container of sugar and a box of tea bags out of the pantry. Grell made Drocell sit down at the kitchen table while they waited, Pluto standing protectively at Drocell's back, watching Grell warily. Ciel stood to one side, staying out of harms way, watching the scene before him. He wondered what was between Pluto and Drocell – they seemed too close for just friends. Pluto seemed unusually…attracted to Drocell, in a sense, like the loyal pup at the psychotherapist feet, panting happily as Drocell hand his hand gently over her coat. After a few minutes, the kettle whistled its way to boiling, the tea was poured and brewed, and Richard even produced a carton of milk from the fridge, claiming that it was still fresh – the two of them had only replaced it a few days ago.

"Do you two stay here often?" Ciel asked Edward quietly as the blonde came to stand to one side with him.

"Oh, we check in here every few days – Pluto asks us to because he knows how much Master Keinz loves his dog Abby, but was unable to take her with him. Master Keinz was…different, you could say, when he came back from that hell-hole." Edward said. "Of course, we prefer not to stay in the one place for too long; we don't wish to appear like we're taking advantage of Master Keinz's hospitality when he tells us that if we look after Abby, we have the run of his house. It's just…it doesn't quite seem fair to us. We're too used to being constantly on the move, in a not so civilized kinda of fashion."

"How did you meet him?" Ciel ventured to ask, and Edward sighed and gave a grim smile.

"About a year ago we discovered him lying in a garbage heap – tossed out, just like a broken piece of trash. When he woke up, he kept mumbling something about the Hospital; and Pluto. It was Pluto this, Pluto that – so our first clue was to contact Pluto to see if he knew anything about him. As it turns out, they knew each other from their time spent working at the Hospital together."

"Yup," Richard added as he hopped up onto a stool on Ciel's other side, cup of steaming tea already in his hands. "Mr Pluto and Mr Drocell were best friends! It really hurt Mr Pluto when he heard that we'd found Mr Drocell so beaten up – he took him in and cared for him for a few days until Mr Drocell wandered out by himself while Mr Pluto was at work."

"When was that, kid?" Grell had sidled over and was taking an interest in their conversation. Richard quieted down and quickly slurped his tea so he wouldn't have to answer, but his older brother gave the redheaded agent a skeptical look.

"What's it to you?"

Grell shot him a quick glare. "It's my business because _I_ happen to be his supervisor today. Any extra information would be _very_ appreciated."

Edward rolled his eyes with a smirk before chuckling softly and folding his arms. "It was about a year and a half, maybe two years ago now? I can't remember properly – it certainly was a while ago by now."

"That sounds about right," Grell nodded to himself, and Ciel wondered what sounded right about it. But before he could ask, Sebastian was pushing a hot cup of undeniably great-smelling tea into his hands and Edward and Richard were ushering them all into the living room, asking Sebastian they might stay and spent the time with them. Ciel had never seen the doctor give in so easily – perhaps he just wanted things to go smoothly, and he agreed to let the boys sit in. He obviously didn't regard them as troublemakers, and trusted them.

Drocell took a seat in a large armchair, his dog plopping herself down at his feet again and sprawling down happily on the carpet, and this time, he looked directly at Ciel as he gestured to him to take a seat on the sofa across from him. Glancing around, Ciel saw the room was just as nicely furnished, if perhaps quite a bit dusty, as the rest of the house. A coffee table sat between them, and Grell stood guard by the door, Pluto at Drocell's side, the two brothers taking seats on a couple of footrests and Sebastian perched himself on the arm of the sofa that Ciel was sitting on.

"Now then," Drocell began in his low, slightly discordant voice. "Shall we begin? I am thinking a good place to begin is for you to explain exactly what it is you want from me here."

Ciel took a deep breath – he knew this was down to him. Not Sebastian; this was his turn to do the talking. It was, after all, his mission.

"I want to know what happened to me. I want my memories back." He said, cupping his cup of tea in both hands on his lap. The smell was irresistible but he was too highly strung with nerves by now to drink – the somehow focused gaze of Drocell's eyes boring into his own was more than a little unnerving; especially with the clear, sharp look of the young mans fine features. This therapist before him certainly didn't look like the delusional maniac that Grell claimed him to be.

"Ah." Drocell said softly, his brows knitting ever so briefly in concern. "That would indeed be a place to start. A place, at the very least. Yes. I think that would be a suitable place."

"_Urgh_ – just get to the point, schitz," Grell growled from the doorway with a roll of his eyes, looking bored. Drocell's gaze never wavered from Ciel's for a second – and Ciel was too terrified to look away. The therapist across from him went on like Grell had never said a word. It was as if no one else but Ciel existed to Drocell; not Sebastian, not Edward nor Richard and not even Pluto at his back or Abby at his feet.

"You have my attention, little Phantomhive. I am thinking that right now the best way to treat your lack of knowledge would be to unravel my own creation within your mind completely," Drocell mused quietly, and Ciel swallowed – the psychotherapist was making it sound as if Ciel's brain was just a ball of yarn to be toyed with and unwound.

"Take it easy," Sebastian said softly, an edge to his voice. "You don't want to undo everything at once."

"Oh yes," Drocell sounded bemused. "That could be terrible. Traumatic. Quite devastating really. You'd be as mad as me. Everything has happened for a reason, I am supposing. Nothing will happen if it weren't for a cause. That's how things get done. Perhaps we were always fated to end up this way, forgotten and broken. Like a childs toy, perchance."

Pluto rested his hand on Drocell's shoulder, and the sudden touch seemed to waken the therapist from his rambling daze. His words were making Ciel even more nervous than before – he was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea after all.

"We will start with a simple sampling, I think," Drocell cleared his throat and took a long sip of tea, never once taking his rarely blinking eyes from Ciel. "It will allow me to determine just how much damage has been done and what might be able to be fixed."

"F-fixed?" Ciel repeated, trying his best to keep the tremour from his voice.

"Fixed indeed. Like the circle of life," Drocell sat, placing his teacup back onto its saucer. "And I would like you to venture with me should you wish to regain your memories. And perhaps Doctor Michaelis would like to watch closely and study my technique. Should you find this helpful I am thinking that you will want to do this again to uncover more – this is a preemptive look inside your mind and it will take more than one single session to reveal all that you want."

Ciel swallowed and glanced at Sebastian, who merely nodded. Looking back to Drocell, he squared his narrow shoulders.

"I'm ready, then."

Drocell cocked his head to one side.

"Be warned my little Phantomhive, what you will see is merely what I can reveal from the bindings that blind the rest of your mind from the reality and truth that you seek. This is not something accomplishable by just anyone. I'm going to put you in a trance. Is there something you wish to focus on? It will be our key word for reawakening you."

"_Reawakening?_ You're going to hypnotize me?"

"After a fashion. A word then, little Phantomhive?"

Ciel bit his lip as he thought, but it only took him a moment. "Butler. The word is 'Butler'."

He noticed Sebastian flinch and glance his way out of the corner of his eye – Pluto too seemed to take an acute discerning of his choice of words. After all, they'd both heard his side of the story and how he remembered his life to have been during all of the drug treatments. Surely this wasn't a coincidence or mere passing fancy.

"Very well," Drocell straightened his head and took another sip of tea because placing his teacup down onto the coffee table. "Then, we shall begin."

Ciel watched as the therapist raised his hands into the air, moving them back at forth across his body as if he were a puppeteer with no puppet strings attached to his fingers. The weaving and dancing of the young mans slender pale hands was like watching an entrancing waltz of swans across a crystal clear lake. Ciel was so mesmerized by the scene, he didn't even notice as his eyes began to droop, his breathing became deeper, and suddenly, he was dreaming of a silent, pure-white ballet of swans in snow.

**-:-**

When Ciel opened his eyes, he was standing in a long white corridor. It looked and smelt like the same hospital that he'd been in just days before, just deserted, and for a moment, fear grabbed him with icy hands and he realized with a jolt that there was no one anywhere in sight.

He was completely alone.

"What can you see, little Phantomhive?" Drocell's voice was gentle, but clear, piercing the air around him. Ciel whirled to see Drocell standing behind him, facing away from him. The way beyond Drocell was sealed off – in front of him only stood a blank wall. Nothingness.

"_You're_ here?"

"We are in the same place. Your mind. Unfortunately…" Drocell turned on his heel slowly, so smoothly that it didn't seem like his feet were even touching the ground, and Ciel gasped as he saw Drocell's face – it was made from the smooth, carved wood of a doll, but the eyes were bound by a piece of bloodstained cloth. "…I cannot see. You are my guide as I am yours through this world. If you want to progress, you and I must be in constant communication. I have never had so much conversing with a person for a long time. Forgive me if I begin to have strange thoughts or wandering speech patterns."

Stunned, Ciel was speechless for a moment before shaking himself. This was what he'd gotten himself into? He'd never experienced anything like this. That he could remember.

"This is my _mind_? One great long hallway?"

"So far. It is what you remember. Your life as you know it now is one long line, a sign that you have been running away from something. I fear I know what it is. I am thinking that now, we must go back down that line until we reach the end; the beginning. From there we will find a barrier. A mental barrier that, to unlock, you must surpass with the desire to know what lies beyond."

"How do I do that?" Ciel asked, taking hold of Drocell's sleeve and beginning to walk him down the hallway, the only way they could go. Their steps reverberated off the whitewashed walls, their voices echoing around them as well as if they were standing in a huge cavern instead of a simple hallway.

"You must focus. I'd be thinking that it would be on the one thing you desire to see the most. But you must concentrate. No distractions. Distractions would be bad. Traumatic – "

"Okay, I get it," Ciel cut him off, not wanting the therapist to start on another unnecessary ramble. They continued in silence for a few minutes more until Ciel ran head-on into some sort of invisible wall. He stumbled back, cursing as his hands flew up to his face to cup his stubbed nose. He glared up at the offending, non-existent barrier. "Uh…I think we're here."

Drocell stumbled forward, no longer guided by Ciel's hand, and reached out to touch the invisible wall. "Yes. I'm certainly thinking that this is the beginning. Where you woke up. Now is the time to start focusing. Are you prepared?"

Ciel gave him an incredulous look from over his hands, but didn't argue. Making sure that his nose wasn't actually bleeding from the impact, he stepped forward and gave the hidden barrier an experimental tap with one hand. A ripple of blue light glowed gently from beneath his fingertips, a warm buzzing sensation traveling up to his shoulder, making a shiver run down his spine. Taking a deep breath, he placed both hands on the wall as Drocell stood back, and then, Ciel gave the concealed wall an almighty shove with every bit of strength that he could possibly muster.

"Focus." Drocell said somewhere over his shoulder, and Ciel poured every single thought into one thing; his parents. Images of Rachel and Vincent Phantomhive raced through his mind, of how he remembered them; set against a huge manor house in Victorian London. Somewhere to the back of one particular image, there was a young man in a finely tailored butlers suit. Sebastian. Ciel frowned, suddenly aware of thoughts of the butler all around him, flooding his senses. Sebastian pruning the roses. Sebastian driving a carriage. Sebastian whipping out butter knives from concealed compartments on his person. Sebastian stroking a cat with a loving, adoring smile. Sebastian blowing out a set of candles. Serving an incredible looking feast in the blink of an eye. Fixing a mistake. Cleaning up a mess. Dusting books in a library. Working the records in the study. Bringing Ciel a slice of cake with a cup of Earl Grey tea. Sebas –

Suddenly, the barrier gave way, and Ciel stumbled through, Drocell dragged along with him. As Ciel regained his balance, he felt his head spin with a dizzy wave of vertigo, and he had to blink away the mutlicoloured stars from his vision before being able to see what was directly in front of him.

And what he saw made him scream.

**-:-**

* * *

**_AfterNote:_**

BIG LONG MASTABATORY AUTHORS NOTE AHEAD OF ORGASMIC PREPORTIONS!

Lemme just say, I'm writing this on the 27th of January, I've seen most of your reviews for the last few chapters even if I haven't been able to respond to them – PHEEEOOOOWWWWEEE. Goddamn I love you people. You crazy ass nutters out there; you've all got these wonderful theories that I'm confusing with my own and I feel…belittled by your amazing insight into this story and where it could go. SERIOUSLY. You lot are throwing such awesome ideas my way that I'm seriously considering taking a few of them and using them. So long as y'all don't copyright them first. That would be plagiarism. And that would be uncool.

And a personal note to the anonymous reviewer known only as **meep**, OH MY GOD. YOUR REVIEWS. SO MANY. SO LONG. …are you telepathic or something? You're so dedicated you see every one of my little plot points and twists and turns! You're the ONLY ONE (I think if I remember correctly, feel free to yell at me anyone else if I'm wrong) who picked up on the first Black Butler season's reference to the whole escapade with Angela and the purist mob at the church in the last chapter! HOLY CRAZZCRACKERS. And yeah, most of you have guessed who I'm making the big baddies…hurr hurr…MORE CLAUDE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, PEEPS! HANG IN THERE!

…That was a trip of a chapter to write though. I've had that mind-inception-barrier-breaking idea for ages, and the scene just played out like a friggin' topsy-turvy dream. And in the first draft, Drocell was actually blind and bleeding from the eyeballs. …Yeah, I decided to change that little detail. Just in case there are kiddies reading this. In which case, hush my mouth that's why this is rated T at least (can't remember what I ACTUALLY rated it… O_o")…

And on a simple side note, I can't remember who asked, but no, I'm sorry, this is not going to be, neither was it ever planned to be, a smut. If you'd like a smut, tell me and I'll write one. (_Totally_ not whoring myself out with all these sex jokes here, wink wink).

On another note, ERMAHGERD, CLEERFFFHANGGGEERRRR. And an update probably won't be for at least the next week and a half, perhaps longer. I'm going to an anime convention this weekend coming up and I'll be AFK for a good four days at least. HOWEVER I'm gonna start on chapter fifteen tomorrow, and I'll probably have at least another two chapters written and ready for posting by the time I'm back from the convention, PLUS I'll have my internet back by then – bonus! Catch you all in the next chapter,

_- Mercy_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

This is gonna be a bit hard to explain. Shit's been going down in my life at the moment, my mums having some serious problems and she's getting mad and angry and upset all the time, she's trying to start anew after a whole lot of stuff that happened last year. In the meantime she's gone away for the week but she's locked the only computer that I have to do my art stuff and internet stuff on because she doesn't want me and my sibling gaming. My siblings just been basically kicked out of home. My horse may have eaten plastic so I have to make sure he's okay, along with the fact that he's got a massive scrape on one of his back legs from where my other horse kicked him. If he did eat any plastic, he could die from it.

I'm still searching for another job, so I've been throwing resumes around like the roofs on fire. I've just realized that I'm in love, and yes, the relationship will be hard because of his autism, but it's a relationship that we're both prepared to work hard at to make work.

Over the past week things have only gotten a little better. I've been dying to update, and I'm a terrible person for not, but with everything happening it just keeps getting pushed back further and further.

I need new headphones; mine are about to die on me.

…so now I've made my excuses, I'm sorry if this chapter's a little…off. Or weird or not up to my usual standard. I feel like I've been slipping a bit lately. Crack just ain't doing the trick anymore, Coiusk. I think we're gonna have to try some LSD or Opium. That shit'll get us to Wonderland and back.

_- Mercy_

…

_The last chapter was supposed to be a little more…Drocell and Pluto orientated. There's a little more there than just friends. Ciel's gonna catch them making out or some shit. That's the only smut you're gonna find in this story. Unless I throw in a smattering of EricXAlan somewhere. But there's not anything between Sebastian and Ciel. That's…the age gaps a bit much. I mean, come on. The kids like, thirteen!_

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen:** Death Would Be A Release

**-:-**

Bile rose in his throat, and Ciel panicked. The blinding white light was scalding his eyeballs, and he could hear Drocell saying something over his strangled screams and retches as he collapsed to his knees, before the young mans hand was on his shoulder and suddenly, there was one word that broke through the confusion and pierced Ciel's scrambled, terrified mind.

"B-Butler!"

Drocell's voice was edgy, panicking, and Ciel was suddenly tugged free from the vision, feeling like he was breaking the surface of water after being held down beneath its waves for a long time without breath. Gasping, Ciel's eyes flew open and his hands flew up to his face – his teacup was no longer in his hands. In front of him, he saw a flash of black – Sebastian's T-shirt, and then, the raven-haired doctor was kneeling in front of him, calling his name and shaking him by the shoulders. He felt himself being pulled into the mans embrace, felt Sebastian's hand rubbing quick, calming circles between his shoulder blades, and Ciel buried his face into Sebastian's shoulder, sobbing and grabbing fistfuls of Sebastian's shirt and clinging to his hair. There was something soothing about having the doctor there, having the dark-haired man hushing his sobs and being there to calm him.

Another pair of hands touched his shoulders, rubbing his back, and he looked up to see Edward and Richard standing over him, their eyes wide with concern, their touch comforting.

"What happened? Ciel – what happened?" Sebastian was murmuring. "Talk to me, Ciel. What did you see?"

In no fit state to reply, Ciel merely let the sobs wrack his body for a minute more. When the tears finally subsided, he was able to start to take deep breaths as Sebastian was instructing him, telling him in inhale slowly and to exhale at the same pace. His breath shook, and he cast his wet eyes around the room – everything was the same as it had been before, but across the coffee table from them, Drocell was hunched over, his head cradled in his hands, rocking himself back and forth. The therapist was muttering something unsteadily to himself, and Pluto was kneeling beside him, Abby on his other side, whining softly and pawing at her master as Pluto spoke softly into Drocell's ear. Grell was standing over them, too, checking over Drocell.

When Ciel's shuddering gasps for breath had passed and he was able to breathe calmly again, and Grell and Pluto had finally managed to get Drocell to sit up straight, the boy and therapists' eyes met.

"M-my," Drocell breathed quietly, his voice still unsteady. "I am thinking that was truly something unexpected. I had a most terrible vision."

"What did you see? Was it the same as what Ciel saw?" Sebastian asked, turning to look at Drocell, who blinked several times before answering.

"It is hard to say. I cannot say for certain that what we both saw was the same thing." He said. "But it is very obvious to me that he is deeply affected by all of this. Trauma is putting it lightly. Perhaps these are not memories meant to be uncovered."

"No!" Ciel managed to blurt out, catching everyone by surprise, even himself. "W-we have to go back! It was _progress_ – we have to try again!"

"Not in your current state," Sebastian said firmly, his hands still rubbing soothing circles between Ciel's shoulders. The effect was calming. "What on earth were your focussing on?"

Ciel swallowed hard and sniffled, tugging a handkerchief free from the pocket of his jeans that Sebastian had given him, and wiped at his runny nose. "I don't…I was… I wanted to see my parents. But as I was thinking about them, you suddenly popped into my head," he said, trying to keep the tremour from his voice. "And I couldn't stop it – all these fake memories of you being my butler and suddenly I fell through the barrier."

"So you saw it too," Drocell murmured, his eyes wide, a tad unfocussed. "Oh my. This is quite disturbing."

"What is?" Edward demanded. "We have a right to know – please tell us!"

"Yeah!" Richard piped up. "We're Ciel's friends."

Ciel blinked at that comment; he had never known the two brothers for long enough in his old life to be able to call either of them as particularly close companions of his. They'd just been a pair of lost ghosts without enough faith in each other and without the memory they needed to be able to pass on into the next world. Clearly there was far more to them then he'd first assumed when Sebastian had brought them back to the safe house with him that night.

Drocell looked from Edward to Richard, his hand falling to his side and absently stroking Abby on the head. The dog whined a little and pushed her nose against his leg sympathetically. Then, Drocell looked to Ciel, who watched him solemnly back, and took it as a sign to speak again.

"We…appeared to have had a shared experience. Perhaps I was too deeply connected with Master Phantomhive to notice just how close we both were; I was preoccupied on getting him to focus. When he made it through the barrier, I suddenly got a flash of what must have been his memories." He said. "Memories – harsh and brutal ones from his time as a test subject."

"_That's_ what it was?" Ciel blurted out, and Sebastian looked down at him. "That was…it was a – a _slaughterhouse_ in there!"

"What did you see?" Sebastian asked, quietly but firmly, and Ciel swallowed. He knew he had to say it – he'd drive himself mad if he didn't. Sebastian at the very least had to know, if they were to ever make any progress without Drocell's help.

"I – we were in a whitewashed room, a hospital room. I saw myself – l-lying on a gurney. You were standing over me. B-but across the room, there was…" he trailed off, clawing and desperately trying to remember the names of the faces he'd seen. Like a dream where he knew the person, but when he'd awoken, he'd only known it was them because he'd _felt_ it, not seen their faces. "…Trancy."

"_What?_" Grell's eyes flicked up and met his. "Did you just say – ?"

"A-Alois Trancy. That's his name," Ciel said softly, running the word over in his mouth. "He had a butler. C-Claus? No, uh – "

"Claude," Sebastian's voice held spite, and Ciel glanced up at him in surprise. "His name is Claude Faustus."

Ciel nodded slowly. Alois and Claude. That sounded right. The other master-butler pair that he'd known in his old life. The only others he could think of as a master-butler pair was Soma and Agni, who of course they'd already encountered.

Next to him, Sebastian let out a _tch_ of agitation, and he glanced up at the doctor. A slightly uncharacteristic, callous twitch of Sebastian's mouth bared white teeth angrily under a hard slash of a frown.

"What is it?" Ciel asked softly, and Sebastian sighed.

"Faustus is another Keeper like myself. But…he's sick. Sadistic. His subject…was…_is_ Alois Trancy." He said quietly, a bitter tone in his voice. "You and Alois were in the same ward for a short while before the experiments began, and you and he were the two most successful of all the experiments; all the others were… not _failures_, so much, as _inferior_ to your progress."

Ciel thought over everything he could remember of the blonde boy that was Alois Trancy. The boy had been a little bossy-boots, and a wimp. Always relying on his demon butler Claude to do all the work. The boy wasn't below petty bribery or taunts; in fact, it really seemed to be the only thing he was good at. And, in the end, he had just ended up being used as a tool by Claude so the demon could get closer to Ciel and Sebastian – to steal Ciel from Sebastian.

"Claude's a ruthless bastard, _most_ unnerving," Grell said suddenly, catching Ciel off guard. When Ciel looked up, silently waiting for him to go on, Grell sighed and folded his arms. "We've got him pinned for multiple cases of malpractice; none of which we can ever actually get him punished for, though, since he's still under the Hospitals jurisdiction and therefore under their protection. He's known to be a little…_careless_ with his patients."

"Malpractice?" Ciel repeated, and Sebastian nodded.

"Yes. In his blind ambition to become the Keeper of the most successful test subject within the Hospital's experimentation project, he would put Alois through some rather extreme measures. He had some cruel and heartless methods."

"So who was the most successful test subject?" Ciel asked, and everyone looked at him, their silent reply enough to surprise him. "W-who, _me_?"

"Yes," Drocell replied. "I am remembering now how you were very challenging for Sebastian, however you also were very compatible for the treatments and medications that were issued."

"I thought you'd been kicked out by then?" Grell looked down at him, and Drocell shrugged.

"I was. But it didn't stop the visions. Terrible nightmares started after I was let go. And I came to realize that some of them were not truly dreams. Dreams do not become so realistic."

"The premonitions?" Pluto asked softly, and the young man sitting next to him nodded. Drocell's features held no expression, but his voice was tinged with sadness.

"Yes."

Sebastian cleared his throat. "And some of those saved Ciel's life. You were in contact with Pluto at the time, and he passed on the news to us. I remember how we lost two other test subjects to a new dosage regime; they were unable to cope with so much all at once. But Pluto told us about your dreams, Drocell, and how you'd seen the children's death and how you'd also seen me cutting back the dosage amount and spreading it out over a longer time period."

Ciel looked up at Sebastian, who had stood and retaken his perch on the arm of the sofa, but the doctor seemed tenser now, sitting forward a little more as if prepared to move at a moments notice.

"Those dreams saved my life? How did you know to believe them or not?" he asked, and Sebastian sighed.

"Something seemed off about the dosage ratio that the heads of the company had ordered us to be administering to the subjects. Only Paula Landsdale and I seemed to pick up on it, however. Every other Keeper was either too terrified to speak up or just blindly following the orders because they were so preoccupied with their own experiments that they weren't taking in all the information," he said, and Ciel remembered how Sebastian had said that Paula Landsdale had been Lizzy's Keeper. It made sense. Lizzy's maid in Ciel's version of reality had been a brunette young lady going by the name of Paula. And what made even more sense now was the relationship he'd seen between Alois and Claude – Claude had been using the boy, and undoubtedly Alois had had no say in the matter. Ciel wondered briefly if Alois would have been just as eager to be Claude's plaything in this reality as he had been within Ciel's own mind. Something about the idea of it just seemed to fit.

Then, another thought struck him.

"Sebastian," he said, and Sebastian looked down at him, waiting for him to continue. "Just how many other test subjects were there?"

Sebastian was quiet for a moment, considering, before he replied.

"There were thirteen of you in total. Alois, Elizabeth and yourself were the top three subjects. The most successful – we were given much free range with our topics of experimentation; even Paula's curiosity was peeked when Claude started discussion of mergence." He said. "But none of the other subjects would have been as compatible. I know that Claude and another Keeper, a woman by the name of Hannah Annafellows, did some combination experiments with Alois and Doctor Annafellows subject, a little boy named Luca, but I never approved of anything to do with you and any other subject."

"Why not?" Ciel had to admit, he himself was quite curious. "And what's this mergence and combining?"

"It's a process," Ciel was surprised to hear Pluto speak up from Drocell's side, and everyone turned to looked at him as he got to his feet, standing almost an inch taller than Grell at his full, broad-shouldered height. "That involves merging two patients treatments and synching their brainwaves in order to allow them to share the same experience, but as two separate entities. It let's them interact within the one fabricated reality, but often leaves them in an incredibly unstable and precarious state depending on their levels of mental health."

"It also requires the use of a very large machine that we came to call the Dream Chair," Sebastian added, sounding a little surprised that Pluto knew so much. "Take for instance the example of Alois and Dr Annafellows patient, Luca. Because Alois is the more successful test subject, they would have placed him in the Dream Chair, which is like the control centre. They would have then slowly integrated, most likely through slight alterations to medication and also no doubt with subconscious suggestion, memories of Luca into Alois' mind, and the same would have been done with Luca, except in smaller amounts. It would allow them both to become used to the idea of each other within their minds, so when Luca would have been hooked up to a secondary port on the side of the Dream Chair, their brain waves would have been completely synchronized and they would then share the same experience, most likely in whatever world as the one Alois had been submerged in, as he was the dominant subject."

Pluto nodded. "Yeah. Also because Alois was older, he would have been a very clear figure point in Luca's mind. He would have appeared as some sort of a brother; they shared the same sort of memories, situation, etcetera, and once the drug treatment was altered to a certain point that they may have even been capable of speech between each other, it would mean that they were completely and utterly synchronized. And it would have worked, too."

"Too?" Ciel repeated, hearing the sound of bitterness coating Pluto's last words. The silver haired young man looked away from everyone else's gaze, glaring harshly at the floor. "What do you mean?"

Pluto seemed to debate with himself about how to answer. Finally, he gave up with a sigh and folded his arms.

"Guess you deserve to know. Coz it coulda been _you_ in Luca's position," he grumbled at the carpet before looking Ciel straight in the eye. "Luca Macken wasn't able to completely synchronize his brain waves with Alois Trancy. The boy was…too powerful. To eager to sit up and beg for whatever that bastard Claude wanted to do to him. And because Luca was unable to connect with Alois in the Dream Chair properly, it set off a chain of events. One, the brain waves of both kids became unstable. That panicked both Keeper's Faustus and Annafellows, causing them to try to pull both kids from the submergence in an attempt to stop anything else going wrong. Kinda like the way Sebastian pulled you out of the isolation tank, but suddenly, and without taking any precautions about what damage might be inflicted."

There was a moment of quiet, and Ciel could almost imagine Claude and Hannah pulling the plugs on a huge machine in the shape of a large chair that Alois was strapped into, his little brother Luca hooked up in an isolation tank next to it, both boys completely unaware of what was happening or being done to their minds and bodies. The thought sickened him.

"W-what happened?" he asked. "What happened when they were pulled?"

Pluto grimaced, as if the memory pained him. Ciel snuck a glance around the room – all eyes were on Pluto, even little Richards, who looked both awestruck and a little frightened. Edward had his hands comfortingly on Richard's shoulders, and the older brother swallowed, as if he knew what was going to come next. Grell was looking a bit bored, but Ciel could tell that he was listening to everything that Pluto was saying. Drocell had a rather distant, far-off look about him as his leant forward, elbows resting on his knees and fingers steepled with his chin resting on his thumb. He was the only one not watching Pluto – even Sebastian appeared to be hanging on to the silver haired young mans every word; Ciel took a guess and assumed that Sebastian hadn't been there when this whole ordeal with Alois and Luca and the Dream Chair had gone down.

"They…managed to successfully unplug Alois. He came out of the experiment without a hitch. He was a bit unstable for a while, with irregular heart rate and breathing patterns that usually indicate stress or anxiety, but…" Pluto trailed off. "But Luca wasn't so lucky. His stats had been…unsound…for a while. The panic that followed seemed to unbalance him even more. And when Dr Annafellows unplugged him – "

Ciel's eyes widened. "He…he _died_?"

Pluto cleared his throat. "Not so much _died_ as fell into a traumatized state of unconsciousness that surpasses even a coma. The patients mind goes so deep within itself that it basically stops functioning. Main motor functions of the brain continue to work to keep the body alive; breathing, heart beat, even the internal organs function to a certain degree, allowing the body to be drip-fed to be kept alive. However, technically, due to that little experiment that was _entirely_ Claude's fault that it went wrong, Luca now lies brain-dead in one of the isolation tanks. For the last year and a half, Dr Annafellows has been researching and looking for a way to somehow revive Luca. But every attempt so far has been a failure."

The silence fell like a heavy blanket over all of them, and Ciel swallowed. Pluto was right – it _could have_ been him in Luca's position. He supposed that the only good thing that could have come of the entire process he'd been put through had been that Sebastian had been his Keeper. Not that that changed anything about what Sebastian may have experimented on him with, what alterations he might have made to his treatment, but Sebastian had kept him alive; doing only what he'd been told to a certain extent. Sebastian had strived to keep him alive without harming or endangering him, Ciel knew. And for that, he was grateful.

Richard chewed his lip, and Ciel thought that the little boy looked like he was about to cry. The two blonde brothers exchanged a look, before Edward nodded and spoke to Pluto.

"Pardon – b-but, how old…how old is Luca?" he asked quietly, and Pluto inhaled deeply, leaning back and casting his eyes up to the ceiling, as if adding up the years in his head.

"I think…I reckon the kid would be nine this year. That sounds about right. He was the youngest of the lot. Taken in when he was only six or seven." He replied, and Grell shuddered.

"That's dastardly," the redhead spat. "What sick asshat thinks experimenting on kids was a good idea in the first place, huh? That's what _I_ want to know."

"The younger they are, the easier they are to meld." Pluto said bitterly. "At least, that's what they told me."

"We'd _all_ like to know what the initial motives were behind these sick experiments, Grell," Sebastian sighed, rising to his feet and checking his watch. "But none of us have the answer. Not yet, anyway."

"We should make 'em _pay_!" Richard said suddenly. "They should all be punished for what they've done! It's not fair! It's _mean_!"

"I am thinking that revenge would be motive enough if you were wanting to overthrow them and put an end to the experiments," Drocell mused quietly, seemingly unaware of Sebastian's movement to rise. "However if you were to uncover what the reasons behind the works were in the first place, it would be of far greater satisfaction to get them back for _those_ reasons, would it not?"

"For once, the schitz-o's right," Grell said firmly. "Like it or not most of us are all a big part of this. Bassy and the brat especially."

"Hey!" Ciel objected, but Sebastian shushed him with a hand on his head.

"Indeed," the raven-haired doctor said. "But we're out of time now – Grell has to get Drocell back to the Dispatch, and we have to get back to the safe house before anyone thinks somethings gone wrong or Bardroy blows up the kitchen again."

At hearing that their meeting was coming to a close, Edward and Richard stood.

"And what of us?" Edward asked. "We're a part of this too. We want to help."

Sebastian looked down at them thoughtfully as Drocell got slowly to his feet, the dog at his feet standing and shaking herself after laying still for so long.

"I think…I think that if you two can merely keep yourselves safe and out of mischief, then you're help enough." Sebastian said, but Edward squared his shoulders defiantly.

"And what about if you need help? If you're in a bind? We can watch over you – from the rooftops and stuff."

"Edward, I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue while dual-wielding a pair of Sig Sauer's – you honestly think that I'd be hindered in protecting Ciel?" Sebastian asked, a small, confident smile on his fine features, but Edward didn't look impressed.

"I don't believe you."

"That's fine."

"We want to help."

"That's not fine."

"But Sebastian – "

"No buts."

"What about – "

"No."

Finally, Edward snarled and threw his hands in the air. Ciel had been watching their bantering with some amusement; if there was something about Sebastian that hadn't changed between his perceptions of the man, it was the doctor's incredible tenacity. And endless patience. Edward had become quite irritated, whilst Sebastian had simply remained completely calm throughout the entire conversation, as if he knew that he would win with the upper hand no matter what Edward said.

"Fine!" the blonde boy snapped, taking his younger brother by the hand. "I hope the next time _you're_ in a ten-cop car chase that they get _you_ and throw _you_ in a dirty little cell down at the station for a few hours! _Then_ we'll see who's in a bind!"

And with that, Edward stormed out, dragging a rather confused looking Richard behind him. They all heard the slam of the back door, and Abby barked twice before settling back at Drocell's feet. Ciel was no longer amused – an angry ghost was one thing, something that couldn't do any harm. But an angry, roof-hopping boy could be something entirely different. A few moments after their departure, however, silence fell in the room, and Ciel glanced up at Sebastian – the doctor looked a little brow-beaten, no doubt by Edward's harsh words, but with a deep breath he picked himself up off the couch and stood, clearing his throat.

"We should be taking our leave," he said softly, and Ciel stood as well, followed by Drocell, Pluto and Grell.

"The kids will be fine," Pluto said softly to Drocell, who was looking a little concerned, but seemed reassured by his silver haired friends words. Grell yawned and stretched, as if the entire meeting had been a long and boring one.

"Well, I suppose I'd better get the lad back," he said, before resting his eyes on Ciel – Ciel noticed his gaze, and eyed him back. The redhead looked like he wanted to say something – his hand moved to his belt on his hip, where there were a set of handcuffs clipped to one of the belt loops, but he seemed to change his mind at the last minute and instead of reaching for the cuffs, resting his hand on his hip and slanted his shoulders, breaking into a flirtatious smile and flicking his gaze up to Sebastian instead. Ciel wondered for a moment what the serious look on Grell's face had been for – almost as if he were about to lash out and slap the handcuffs on someone, but for some, unknown reason, had changed his mind. However, his train of thought was broken as the redhead took Drocell gently by the arm and guided him out towards the door, followed by the others, Ciel trailing along in their wake.

Drocell had a difficult time peeling the now whining Abby off of him, murmuring quietly to her and stroking her reassuringly, and Ciel heard him say something about trying to come and see her more often.

"You're not worried about her being on her own?" Ciel asked. "Isn't that like animal cruelty?"

"Can't take the pooch with us," Grell shrugged. "I know it's sad but no doubt the kids will come back."

"Course they will," Pluto nodded along, certainty in his voice. "The kids always come back. They didn't leave on account of anything to do with Drocell – they'll still look after her." He reached down to pat Abby's head affectionately. "They don't like breaking promises."

After a long goodbye between Drocell and his beloved hound, they finally went their separate ways when they reached the park where they'd first met up earlier that afternoon. Ciel had been off in his own little world, thinking about everything he'd seen in that subconscious state that Drocell had put him in. The barrier, the hallway, everything. He thought about what had been said – and realized it was true. One way or another, everyone he could remember all fitted in somehow into this whole ordeal. He thought back over something that Sebastian had once told him a few nights ago, while they'd been going over names when they'd been confined to the hospital ward. Everyone on this list, everyone Ciel could remember, had somehow touched Ciel's life before he'd undergone the experimentation. Those memories were memories of people that were someway too important to be completely suppressed into Ciel forgetting about them completely. Even those he'd been unconsciously aware of whilst he'd been used as a test subject – they all fitted in. Paula, Dr Annafellows, Alois Trancy, Luca Macken…everyone had a place. Everyone was somehow connected to him, and to the Hospital.

Clambering into the backseat of the car as Pluto took the drivers seat and Sebastian slid in beside Pluto in the passenger side, Ciel caught sight of Grell in the rear view mirror of the car, and turned in his seat to get a better look at him. Drocell was already seated in the car Grell had brought, but Grell was standing by the drivers side door, watching their car. Intently. With that same look Ciel had noticed him wearing as he had almost reached for the handcuffs.

The look that, in Ciel's mind, was guilt.

But guilt of what? As Pluto revved the car into gear and reversed out of the parking lot, Ciel couldn't help but wonder. Grell as he knew him never looked guilty. The man simply didn't seem to have been able to comprehend such an emotion whilst he'd been a psychotic Grim Reaper fascinated with the colour red and infatuated with men. It wasn't like him – that's what caught Ciel so off guard. However, he didn't have the nerve to ask – either Sebastian or Pluto. Both were exchanging glances between each other, with the occasional murmur of conversation passed between them.

It was only after they'd reached the hotel again when Pluto noticed Ciel dragging his feet a bit, staring down at the carpet as they reached the elevator. Sebastian had gone across the foyer to buy a couple of bottled drinks for everyone once they reached the hotel room, and Pluto nudged Ciel.

"What're you thinkin' about?" the silver haired young man asked, and Ciel, despite his want to tell Pluto about Grell, he realized that he had something else – something that, the more he thought about it, he came to see would be far more appropriate to ask.

"How…how did you know?" he asked quietly, and Pluto raised an eyebrow at him as he pushed the button for the elevator. "All the stuff about the Dream Chair – how did you know?"

Pluto sighed deeply, as if he'd been waiting for Ciel to ask. After a moment, the elevator dinged and Sebastian rejoined them, his good arm laden with a couple of large bottles of soft drink. The three of them stepped into the elevator, and Pluto spoke as if Sebastian wasn't even there, answering to Ciel.

"I know all about the Dream Chair, kid. Every single aspect of it." The young man said as Ciel reached out to push the button for their floor. "From its first designs to the current working structures of it – how it works, what it can do, everything."

"But _how_?" Ciel pressed as Pluto paused. The silence lasted for a few moments, broken only by the soft dinging sound as they passed each floor below theirs. And when Pluto finally answered, Ciel wouldn't have believed it if he knew that it couldn't be anything other than the truth. As they reached their floor, Pluto answered just before the door slid open.

"Because I was a technician at the Hospital. Because I _built_ the damn thing."

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

OKAY. So I'm really late with this and I know I know I've read all your reviews and I have been ITCHING to update for a heeeeeell of a long time but THERE YOU GO. Pluto's role in the story has finally been unveiled. And Chapter Sixteen is already half-written; I had hoped to have had it ready by now, so I could be epic and post like two chapters in the one hit to get double-time on your reviews, but alas, it cannot be. But more fun and games in the next chapter, I promise! More high-flying action and pulse-pounding adventure! Like you've never seen it before!

**SO HEY.** I'm going to rant a little bit now about how much I mother fucking love conventions. ANIME CONVENTIONS. Wai-con was amazing. John Robertson, what a funny guy. I got a hug from him. AND SEPHIROTH, PEOPLE. My life is officially complete. *swoons* _**SEPHIROTH**_ mutha fuckin' _HUGGED ME_ 8D. He is like, the most badass mummies boy of all time. So anyhow I had a hell of a time, bought a ton of Black Butler merc, including a new alarm clock (Shuttup guys it's really cute and I needed one – it could only be cooler if it actually had a voice recording of J Michael Tatum saying "It's time to wake up, young master"), four more volumes of the Kuroshitsuji manga, a Ciel plushie (to go with my Sebby plushie, of course!) and a MASSIVE wall-hanging print that would have been originally WAY out of my price range, but when the girl behind the stall saw my Black Butler wallet, she was like, 'Hey, did you want me to throw this in? *shows wall hanging* I'm just trying to get rid of it, normally it would have been, like, $25 but I'll give it to you for $3' and I was all like FUCKING SOLD! I also got a Madness Returns bowtie-hairclip thing that is eeeepiiiic~, a deck of D-Gray Man playing cards, a clip that was decorated with ACTUAL cards and a pretty little skull in the centre so it's like a goth-deck-of-cards-flower, a Daria and Jane print, three MLP prints for some of my friends, two Hellsing prints for two other friends who happen to be infatuated with Alucard and Saris, and to top it all off, I got a brohoof, hug and a BALLOON from a really sweetie Pinkie Pie cosplayer. SHE WAS SO CUTE GUYS.

And for the rest of the two days I went around stalkerishly asking all the sexy cosplayers for their photos – seriously, dudes – I got people from D-Gray Man, Hellsing, Black Butler, Soul Eater, Death Note – ALL OF THEM WERE BEYOND AMAZING AND GORGEOUS AND ARGH if I died now I'd be happy. (AND HEY, IF ANY OF YOU WAS THAT REALLY AWESOME DROCELL THAT I MET, THEN YOU ARE DOUBLY AWESOME SEXY AND A TRIPLE HIGH-FIVE TO YOU, GIRL!) But I don't really wanna die now because that would mean not only would I make my lovely boyfriend sad but I wouldn't get to read all your awesome reviews and narcissistically think myself an epic fanfictioner now that I'm no longer a virgin to conventions.

**AND HOLY SHIT JOHN ROBERTSON. DON'T GO TO THE UK. STAY HERE IN AUSTRALIA AND PLEASE CONTINUE SCARING US TO DEATH WITH **_**THE DARK ROOM.**_ Everybody else – go to YouTube RIGHT NOW and look up "_The Dark Room – John Robertson_", RIGHT AFTER you've left a review ;D you know the drill!

Catch you in the next one!

_- Mercy_


	17. Chapter Sixteen

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

I am a terrible author, I know. I told you all DAYS AGO that I'd have this chapter up then, and I didn't. that's mainly because I only got my computer back like, yesterday, after I got told a week and a half ago that it would only take three days. But apparently it's graphics card is basically frying itself because my computer is a really old model and it's graphics card thingy doesn't have a fan to keep it cool. So while I've got it back for now it's been fixed to a certain extent, I'm still gonna have to be careful with it, coz I really, REALLY don't want this baby to cook.

And most of this chapter was actually written like, a week and a half ago too, but then it went in to get fixed, so I wrote the last two pages this afternoon for you all :D

Now you can all tell me what a horrible person I am. And don't forget to review the story too!

_- Mercy_

…

_A happy belated Valentines to all my beautiful and wonderfully lovely readers out there – even if you are forever alone, know that Mercy loves you. She updates her stories and shit nowadays too, imagine that! *tee hee*_

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen:** Affliction

**-:-**

The surprises, however, didn't stop there.

When the door slid open, Ciel had to shut his gaping mouth as he turned to face the two people standing directly in front of them, waiting for the elevator on their floor. The two men were dressed in dark suits and white shirts – and the three in the elevator realized who they were staring at mere seconds before the agents did.

Dispatch agents Eric Slingby and Alan Humphries stared at them for a moment, stunned.

"_Shiiii_-"

Everything seemed to move in slow motion – Ciel was first aware of Pluto grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and yanking him back, Eric lunging for him just as he was tugged from the spot where he'd been standing. Sebastian was slamming his fist against the button that would closed the doors, and suddenly, Pluto was shoving Eric back and, with his spare hand, grabbed one of the bottles of fizzy drink from Sebastian's grasp. The silver haired young man swung the bottle at Eric and the bottle caught the agent on the shoulder, and Eric stumbled back. Alan tried to hold the doors open, but Sebastian quickly lifted up his leg and planted his foot squarely in Alan's stomach, launching him back and out of the elevator. Pluto was assaulting Eric with the bottle still, and as Alan turned to help his companion, Pluto turned and popped the top off the bottle – which was by now rather shaken. Flavoured, carbonated water sprayed all over Alan, sending him stumbling back and crying out in surprise.

By this time, the doors of the elevator had slid shut again and Sebastian punched in a button – back down to the bottom floor.

"W-what about Pluto?!" Ciel cried as the elevator began to descend, but Sebastian shook his head.

"He'll be fine. He knows that the top priority is your protection – he won't be able to hold off the two of them for long, but he'll buy us enough time to give us a head start at the very least." The raven-haired doctor replied, discarding the last few bottles on the elevator floor as the lift came to a stop and the doors slid open. As soon as the space was large enough, the two of them dashed through the doors and into the foyer – they could hear yelling coming from upstairs, heavy footfalls coming from the stairwell, and then there was a cry that was Ciel recognized as Pluto's voice. He stumbled to a stop at the foyer lounge, Sebastian almost colliding with his smaller form and sending him sprawling. Across the lounge at the far end of the floor was the exit onto the street – the stairs were about halfway across the room. Suddenly, there was a series of thumps and crashes, and, completely stunned, the two of them watched as Pluto came tumbling down the carpet-padded stairs before sprawling out on his back, unconscious – Ciel could see that his nose was bleeding, possibly broken – and his arm was twisted in a way that just didn't seem normal.

"Pluto!" Ciel cried out, instinctively moving to go to the young mans side, but Sebastian's grip on his arm held him in place.

"_No _– he's breathing, he'll be okay," Sebastian said, but Ciel could hear the worry in his voice. Before he could continue, however, Eric and Alan came racing down the stairs, Eric taking a quick jump over Pluto's lifeless body to the floor while his partner took more careful steps around him. Both of them had their handguns drawn, and Sebastian whirled and tugged Ciel back into the elevator, desperately reaching for the buttons. Ciel could hear the two agent's yelling and several deafening shots were fired towards the elevator, and somewhere across the foyer Ciel heard the receptionist scream. The sound of the gunshots ricocheted around inside the lift as the doors slid closed and the lift began to rise – Ciel covered his ears with his hands and forced himself to take deep breaths as Sebastian stood over him, the doctors body tensed and ready to leap out of the elevator again.

"We're trapped," Ciel gasped for breath as he finally managed to stop his ears ringing. Sebastian's grim expression only confirmed it.

"Yes. We are. I would have liked to have avoided this, but this could be our only chance. Never take the elevator when you're being chased – however, we didn't have much choice. And it is slightly quicker than running up several flights of stairs." He murmured, and Ciel blinked.

"Where are we headed?" he asked, and Sebastian merely pointed at the elevator ceiling.

"Up."

**-:-**

The elevator stopped at the top floor of the hotel, and Sebastian had Ciel's hand wrapped in his own and was dragging him out of the shiny metal lift before the doors had even properly opened.

"We have a head start on them because of the fact that they've been delayed by taking the stairs – but it won't last for long," Sebastian said as he pulled Ciel down the hallway, almost bumping into a rather surprised looking couple as they rushed passed with no time to apologise.

There was one last set of stairs that led upwards – it was connected to the same stairwell that Alan and Eric were no doubt currently ascending up towards them, but it was barred off by a simple "Staff Only" sign, a sign that was very quickly shunted aside by Sebastian, and Ciel nearly tripped up the stairs after him as he tried to follow. The stairs led up to a small door that was obscured by several large crates, ones that the two of them quickly found were very, very heavy.

Groaning with the effort of shoving against them, Ciel gasped, "What…what _are_ these? What's _in_ them?"

"Old stuff the – _urgh_ – the staff needed to store somewhere, I'd gander," Sebastian replied with a grunt, before he suddenly stopped. "_Wait_, Ciel."

Ciel stopped trying to heft the boxes, his heart still pounding a million miles a minute, and Sebastian quickly grabbed his small frame and lifted him up onto one of the crates – behind it stood the door, a rusted iron barrier between them and the outside world.

"Check the handle – does it open outwards?" Sebastian said hurriedly, and Ciel grasped the slightly rusted doorknob and twisted. It was stiff from disuse, small flakes of rust peeled away under his grip, and it squeaked and the gears within it grinded loudly against each other, but after several solid attempts, it finally came unstuck.

"It's open!" Ciel cried in relief as the door swung open outwards, and sunlight came pouring in on his face, blinding him momentarily.

"Good! Go through!" Sebastian urged. "I'm right behind you!"

Ciel blinked through the brightness of the light, shuffling over the large wooden crate until he was able to hop off it and onto the roof outside of the hotel building, and Sebastian kept true to his word – moments after Ciel had brushed himself quickly off, the dark-haired doctor vaulted neatly over the crate and turned fast on his heel. He then grabbed the edge of one of the crates and pulled, yanking with all his might, until the crate was dragged free from underneath the one that was on top of it. The top crate came crashing down on top of the one that Ciel had clambered over to get out, obscuring the door from the Dispatch agents, and for good measure, once Sebastian had kicked the swinging iron door closed behind them, he shoved the crate that he'd pulled free up against the door, using it almost as a doorstop to block the door from opening outwards.

"That should give us a little more time to figure out how we now get down from here and away from them," Sebastian said, sounding a little relieved as he dusted off his hands. Ciel let out the breath of apprehension he'd been holding in, letting his shoulders slump, only to hear the frightening click of a gun being cocked behind them.

"Oh, I would stop worrying about how you'll get away from _them_," a very cold, very calm woman's voice said from behind them. "And start focussing on just what you might want engraved on your tombstone."

Ciel froze, and risked a glance up to see Sebastian had also stilled – slowly, the doctor turned, and Ciel followed suit, hardly daring to believe that the owner of the voice was the one he thought it might be.

"Angela Bloque." Sebastian said dryly, and the lavender-eyed lady before them smiled ever so slightly behind her raised gun.

"Sebastian Michaelis. I'd like to say very much that it's a pleasure meeting you again, but I'm afraid the time for niceties has passed." She said, her loose fitted, light lilac shirtsleeves flapping gently in the wind that breezed over the rooftop. "You've been a _very_ bad boy."

Ciel saw out of the corner of his a smirk beginning to creep over Sebastian's features. It was one of quiet confidence, but he had to wonder if it was just a façade the doctor was putting on to appear unafraid. Moving slowly, Sebastian put himself between Angela, who stood about ten metres away from them, and Ciel, who couldn't help but stare at the woman.

This was the woman who had been an angel. She had been capable of taking the form of a man named Ashe Landers, who had posed as the butler and bodyguard for Queen Victoria. This angel had been defeated by Sebastian – the only time Sebastian had ever shown his true form, one that Ciel had never seen for himself.

Who was she in this world?

"What's she talking about, Sebastian?" Ciel only just managed to raise his voice above a whisper, his throat dry. Sebastian made no move to look over his shoulder at him, keeping his crimson gaze squarely on the armed woman before them.

"Angela Bloque is known for her incredible advances in the world of medical research," Sebastian said softly. "To her, science is merely a fine art when put into practice."

"Is she another Keeper?" Ciel asked quietly, still staring at Angela, who simply stood, her arm raised, her handgun trained at the dead centre of Sebastian's forehead.

"_Worse_." Sebastian replied, so low that Ciel almost didn't hear him. "She's one of the Hospital's head directors."

Any breathe Ciel had been drawing in seemed to disappear from his lungs – his knees felt weak, his mind reeling. _She_ was the one who had been the head of these sick, bizarre experiments the whole time? _She_ was the one; the one who'd ordered for Ciel to be put through hell. _She_ had been the one who had turned his entire life upside down.

Angela's gaze fell from Sebastian to Ciel, who she could see through the gap between Sebastian's side and his arm; the doctor's stance was wary, his legs spread and his centre of gravity lowered, ready to launch himself at Angela or to block any attack, any shot she may fire. Ciel felt a tremour flit down his spine as their eyes connected, and Angela smiled.

"It's nice to see you again, Ciel. That I can say without a trace of a doubt," she said gently, sounding as sincere as if she was merely greeting an old friend. Ciel blinked – she had been a manipulative, out of control angel obsessed with purity and cleansing – what was to say that she wasn't still the same now?

"W-why…?" he murmured. "Why would you do this, to me? To all of the subjects?"

Angela's expression softened, but she never once pointed her gun away from Sebastian.

"There's so much to talk about, child – why don't you come with me? I'll take you home, where you're safe. Wouldn't you like that?" she asked, her words dripping with sincerity, and the sudden thought of _home_ made Ciel pause – where…where was home?

"Don't listen to her, Ciel, she's just _toying_ with you." Sebastian snarled, and Angela flicked her gaze back to him for a moment, her brows slashing momentarily in irritation before a look of faux shock replaced the frown.

"Me? Oh, Ciel – I wouldn't do that to you. Don't you know? Hasn't Sebastian told you? _He's_ the one who played around with your mind." She said earnestly, and Ciel felt something close over in his throat. She was right. But Sebastian had…

"I was doing my job because I was forced to. The orders all came from you and your sick-minded husband." Sebastian shot back. "Leave Ciel out of this. What do you want?"

Angela chuckled softly, the wind ruffling her short hair. "I'm afraid what I want _is_ Ciel. You see, unlike you, I wish to return Ciel to his proper home, not keep him running pointlessly away from a threat that you've completely made up."

"Made up?" Ciel repeated, looking at Sebastian. The raven haired doctor wouldn't look over his shoulder at him, but he saw Sebastian's shoulders tense.

"I have never lied to Ciel." Sebastian growled quietly. "He never deserved to be put through any of what happened, and I'm rectifying that."

"By forcing him into a world he has no knowledge of? Really, Sebastian – you know we have rehabilitation programs for that at the Hospital." Angela said incredulously, before her tone turned sharp. "Now. I came here in person because it's time to end this. Your crimes will be paid for. The child _will_ be returned to the Hospital and you _will_ be eliminated. That is _my_ rectification."

Before Ciel could blink, Sebastian had moved, so fast and so lithely that Ciel almost missed it completely – in just a few seconds Sebastian had cleared the ground between himself and Angela, and his booted foot was swinging up in a high round house kick and catching Angela's outstretched gun hand in the swing, causing her to cry out and let go of the gun. The handgun when spinning away through the air before clattering across the roof, coming to a stop as it skidded up against the edge of the roof mere steps away from where Ciel was standing.

As Angela and Ciel had both watched the handgun arc barrel-over-hand grip through the air, Sebastian had taken the opportunity of the distraction and plunged his fist into Angela's mid-riff – the woman cried out in shock and pain and went staggering backwards.

"Ciel! Grab the gun!" Sebastian yelled as Angela retaliated with a raged yell and came hurtling back at him, her own hands balled into fists. Ciel watched in shock as the two scientists punched and blocked and kicked and twisted in a deranged dance around each other, almost completely evenly matched. Angela may have been a little shorter, and most definitely _not_ as strong as Sebastian, but she was easily holding her own. She had the upper hand whenever Sebastian would dodge, using the momentum of the dodge to swing himself around to throw another punch or launch another kick, and that swing would give her the time to right herself or to ready herself for the attack – often times, she could predict his movements and block them, retaliating with a rain of her own blows, her small fists raining a hail of punches up and down Sebastian's arms as he blocked, or into his side whenever he'd try to duck away, leaving his flank unprotected.

Ciel was frozen, staring at them as they would flip and kick and twirl across the roof, the two of them now completely caught up in the other's movements – if he had to guess, he would have said that Sebastian was creating a distraction, taking Angela's attention away from Ciel so that Ciel could try to make a getaway, or hide at the very least. Since, he realized, there probably wasn't a very easy way down from here.

"_Get the gun_!"

Sebastian's holler pulled Ciel from his stationary stupor, and the boy whirled to see the handgun lying discarded barely two metres from his feet. Glancing again at the brawling duo, he saw Angela manage to whack her elbow into Sebastian's jaw, catching the doctor off balance and sending him stumbling away. She took the time to right herself, before she cast her eyes around, her frantic gaze suddenly catching on Ciel. Ciel felt his blood run cold as her smile reappeared, despite her breathing hard, and she began across the roof towards him.

Sebastian rugby-tackled Angela from behind, taking her down with him into a writhing, grunting and yelling heap, and Ciel stumbled back away from them as Angela made a mad lash out for his leg.

"The gun! _Get the damn gun_!" Sebastian grunted as he tried to pin Angela down, the squirming woman doing everything in her power to escape his steely grip. His nose was bleeding and there was a gash above his left eyebrow – Angela had caught him with a nail, obviously. Angela herself was scuffed and had a trickle of blood running down the side of her face from where Sebastian had cuffed her across the side of the head, catching on and pulling out a small chunk of hair, leaving the scalp bleeding and raw.

Ciel was spurred into action as Angela tried to swing at him again, heaving herself closer to him from under Sebastian, and he staggered back and tried to scoop up the handgun – the cold metal slid from his fingers and clattered back to the concrete, and he made a desperate attempt to pick it back up again, his hands shaky with the adrenaline of the scuffle before him.

Sebastian howled in pain as Angela bit down on his arm, but she yelped as his knee jerked upward as a reflex, catching her squarely in the pelvis – she may not have had any manhood to harm, but the sudden strike was enough to leave her winded and gasping for air. As she curled instinctively into a ball, Sebastian scrambled up and leapt over her, taking Ciel by the hand and breaking into a dash away from her. Ciel, dragged along by the raven-haired doctor, ended up dropping the handgun, and it clattered back to the concrete under their feet.

The two of them staggered to a stop as they came to the edge of the roof, and Sebastian peered quickly over the side of the hotel roof and down into the street below. Ciel dared to take a glance down, too – below them there was nothing but thin all the way until the ground, which was hard tarmac with a few very hard looking cars and the occasional skip scattered about in the alley. It wasn't an appealing sight.

Just as Sebastian whirled to drag Ciel in a different direction, a single gunshot rang out and they both stopped dead. Angela was on her feet, favouring her right leg, blood trickling from her lips and a bruise already beginning to swell up under her left eye. In her outstretched hand, which was trembling with exhaustion, was her handgun that Ciel had dropped. The shot she'd fired had hit the ground right where Sebastian had been about to step, pulling him up at a dead halt, and Ciel had stumbled into his back.

"Give up, Michaelis." Angela snarled, her tone harsh. "The child…will come wi-with me…"

Sebastian was about to reply, when a sudden loud crashing and banging caught them all off guard. The noise was coming from the small shack with the door set into it and the crate shoved in front of it – the Dispatch agents had made it to the top floor at last.

"Leave." Sebastian growled. "Leave now and don't allow the Dispatch to see your association with the Hospital here. Ciel might be a prize in their eyes, but to get the head of the company? Why, that would surely make for headline news, wouldn't it?"

"You _fool_!" Angela snarled in response. "You think I'm going to run away? With Subject Thirteen _right in front of me_? What's to stop me killing you now, and taking the child back where he belongs?"

"I'm giving you a chance," Sebastian replied, his tone hard, but his words earnest. "But if you won't take it, then…"

He made a move towards the shack, as if to shove aside the box that was barring the two agents behind the doors way, but dodged back as Angela fired another shot.

"_No!_" she screamed, and Ciel could see the rage overwhelming her. "_No one gets passed me!_ You will _die_, Michaelis!"

Sebastian sighed, as if bored, and shrugged his shoulders, dropping his cautious air and adopting a more nonchalant one. "Fine. Then they get three birds with one stone. The Hospital is brought crashing down by one woman's insane tenacity, and the elusive little test subject is finally recovered. It'll be the talk of the century, won't it?"

Ciel blinked in surprise – Sebastian was just…_giving up_? How – how could he? What was going on…?

There were more bangs and thumps coming from the shack now, and Ciel knew that Eric and Alan were close to being able to shove open the door from the inside. The box Sebastian had shoved up against it on the outside was slowly giving way, being shifted back with every time the two agents threw their weight against the door. Even Angela couldn't deny that they only had mere minutes left.

After what could have been an eternity, the seconds dragged seemed to drag by so long, Angela finally let her shoulders slump and her arm fell, her gun falling to rest at her side.

"Fine." She hissed through a cracked tooth. "But this isn't over."

"Please," Sebastian smirked, almost pleasantly. "Do continue with the overused villain-esque clichés. It'll make your retreat far more dramatic."

Angela threw a nasty glare at him before whirling on her heel and taking a shaky sprint across the rooftop, limping and dragging her right leg a bit as she went. When she reached the end of the roof, she took the stride up onto the ledge, before launching herself off of the roof and across to the roof of one of the building adjacent to the hotel. Ciel and Sebastian watched as she regained her footing after a stumble, before she kept running – after three more leaps from one roof to the next, Angela Bloque had disappeared from sight behind chimneys and vent covers completely.

And with that, the door to the shack of the hotel roof finally gave way, the large crate being shoved to one side and the two agents managing to slip through the gap.

Only to reveal a completely empty and abandoned rooftop.

"Where'd they go?" Ciel heard Eric Slingby say in exasperation.

"Look here – blood. There's been a fight." Alan Humphries was saying, and Ciel could picture the brunette agent squatting down next to one of the trails of blood that either Sebastian or Angela had left behind.

"Take a sample of it. Geez, whaddaya think happened up here?" Slingby asked. "And if they were fightin', who won?"

"I wouldn't put my chances with the child," Alan said. "If he tried to get away from the Keeper, he probably wouldn't have had much chance."

"You – you uh, you think…" Eric trailed off, and Ciel strained to hear if the agent said anymore.

"What, he threw the boy off the roof? That's so sick, Eric!" Alan objected, but Ciel could almost see Eric shrugging in his minds eye.

"Hey. The two of them are undoubtedly messed up in the head – anyone stuck in that place would be. I know I'd be. We should check, just to be sure."

Footsteps approached them, and Ciel could feel Sebastian's arm drawing a little tighter around him. His eyes darted about under the dark blindfold, desperately trying to see out from under it. He could feel the breeze caressing his skin – it would be night soon. The afternoon was growing cooler, and in the shadow where they were hidden, the breeze felt even cooler – chilly, almost, and he could feel a trail of goose bumps prickling over his skin.

"Here, I'll hold you." Eric said, and there was a small grunt as Alan was hefted up onto the ledge to look over the edge.

Ciel managed to wriggle himself free from the blindfold that was a torn strip of Sebastian's shirt, and he glanced up – only to find himself looking straight up into the gaze of Alan Humphries. Sebastian had Ciel cradled in one arm, his other arm occupied with being hooked over one of the gargoyle sculptures that looked out from under the overhang of the roofs ledge. They were perched precariously on the small outcropping underneath the overhand, and anyone who hadn't been leaning over the ledge above them as Alan was now would never have seen them.

Alan's expression went from shock to fear. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, and Ciel caught sight of Sebastian mouthing something silently. There was another moment of silence between them, and Alan looked conflicted, before he gave an ever so tiny nod, and called back up over his shoulder.

"Nothing, Eric. I can't see any bodies down in the alleyway and there's no sign of the boy or the doctor. Help me back up!"

Ciel could hear Eric's disgruntled mutters, but Alan disappeared from the ledge, and it was only after the door that lead up to the roof slammed shut again that both he and Sebastian let out the breaths that they'd been holding.

"Well," Sebastian sighed. "_That_ could have gone better."

"Indeed." Ciel agreed, risking a glance over Sebastian's arm and into the street below. It was still as unappealingly high up as it had been before. "And how do you propose we get down, exactly?"

Sebastian hoisted Ciel up a little higher. "Wrap your legs around my waist, and carefully shimmy round until you're on my back." He instructed, and Ciel obeyed, his hands clenching tightly around the doctor's shirt as he went. They swayed dangerously away from the side of the building as Sebastian had to lean out to give him some room to move around, but the doctor maintained his steel grip on the gargoyle statue until Ciel was safely clinging to his back.

"Right."

With that, Sebastian reached out for the next statue that was set into the wall about a metre away, sidling along the outcropping facing the wall. Once he was safely gripping the next statue, he reached down, and Ciel heard the clink of metal before a long, soft _thwip _of leather being tugged loose from fabric. Sebastian triumphantly held up his belt.

"What is _that _supposed to do?"

Sebastian glanced over his shoulder at Ciel. "Well usually, it stops my pants from falling down."

Ciel frowned.

"That's not what I meant." He said through gritted teeth, and Sebastian chuckled softly under his breath. One hand still holding onto the statue, he used the other one to loop the belt through the statue's mouth, which was moulded open as if it were snarling, but its cement teeth were set against each other, creating a solid hand hold. Ciel could feel the muscles in Sebastian's back tensing through the doctors shirt, and could feel the slight tremour of Sebastian's arm muscles as the doctor very slowly, holding the two ends of the belt together in one hand, started to lower them both downwards. The outcropping below them was about a metre down, and Sebastian felt around with his foot until he could place it on the solid concrete without doubt.

Once there, he let go of one end of the belt, tugging it loose of the statue's mouth so that it fell down to meet them. There were large cement spines decorating the wall in front of them at about stomach level to Sebastian, and he hooked the belt onto one of them before repeating the same process. They continued to descend this way slowly for about five more floors, until they were about half way down. By then, Sebastian was visibly trembling from the exertion, and Ciel could see him beginning to tire, sweat running down his forehead.

They paused for a moment, Sebastian breathing hard and shallowly, Ciel still clinging to him. If Ciel were to release his grip for just a second, he'd most likely be unable to grab hold of Sebastian and would fall the remainder of the way until he hit the concrete below with a sickening crunch. The mere thought of it made him feel ill.

"You okay?"

Ciel was shaken from his traumatic day-dream by Sebastian's tired voice.

"Huh? I'm fine – what about you?"

"I'll survive." Sebastian replied as he began to move again, descending slowly and carefully. Ciel glanced down over his shoulder – there was a large dumpster right below them – and it was full of what looked like cardboard and old wooden picture frames. His attention was suddenly jerked away by Sebastian's voice. "Oh dear."

"W-what?" Ciel peered quickly over Sebastian's shoulder to the wall in front of them. Sebastian nodded to his belt, which was looped over a small outcropping of architecture. The belt was slipping.

There was no time to speak – no time to act. They both cried out wordlessly as the belt lost its grip on the outcropping and Sebastian lost his foothold as they're weight tugged them backwards. They fell, and Ciel like his stomach was left behind up there on that narrow ledge as they plummeted downwards, losing his grip on Sebastian.

He landed in the skip first, the cardboard and wooden frames only slightly cushioning his landing before he fell into something softer – something rather springy. Something that almost launched him back into the air a second later as Sebastian landed in a heap almost on top of him in the dumpster. Ciel heard several loud cracks and gut wrenching snaps as the wooden frames beneath him and Sebastian cracked and broke, and he silently thanked God that there hadn't been any glass in them. But beneath the stiff cardboard and the splintering frames as an old, discarded mattress that had been shoved into the skip at an old angle, and that was what had taken the main brunt of their fall and saved them both from broken necks.

There was a moment of quiet after the dust and chips of wood settled, and Ciel found himself staring up at the sky high above them in between the rooftops – the hotel rooftop to his left, another tall buildings roof eaves on his right, creating an alleyway of sky. The clouds were reddening as the sun was fading down below the clouds, and there was a grunt from somewhere next to him as Sebastian tried to sit up.

"C-Ciel – _oooow_," Sebastian groaned as he levered himself up from under a cardboard box that had tipped in on top of him after the fall. There were several scratches and cuts on his face, neck and arms from where he'd fallen against the broken picture frames, but he didn't seem otherwise unharmed by the crash landing. Ciel himself had landed into a mess of the wooden frames, and looked over at Sebastian gingerly. The doctor crawled his way through the debris to him.

"H-here, hold still," Sebastian said as he gently checked Ciel over, making sure that Ciel didn't have any head or neck injuries. Once he'd confirmed that Ciel was, for the most part, undamaged, he allowed Ciel to sit up and they both agreed that it was probably a good idea to get moving again despite their exhaustion and complaining bodies. Ciel knew as Sebastian helped him down into the alleyway out of the skip that he'd have some pretty impressive bruises tomorrow.

The two of them began to make their way out of the alley in the opposite direction of the front of the hotel – just in case they ran into the Dispatch officers again, and also in a different direction to the one that Angela had disappeared in. Just in case, Sebastian had said. They emerged into a side street that to Ciel seemed somewhat familiar, and it only took him a moment to realize that they weren't all that far away from the Chinatown area. At least they didn't have to worry about the general public questioning their odd, beat-up appearance; according to Sebastian, it wasn't uncommon to see people looking like they'd just seen the bad end of an angry biker gang. Ciel didn't know what a biker gang was, and at the time he was too tired to really care, but he was pretty sure they weren't a basket of roses by another name.

Dragging their feet through the more run-down streets of London, passing the occasional homeless person or delinquent, Sebastian finally spoke again after several long, worn out minutes of silence.

"You know what?"

Ciel barely had the energy to reply, so he just made a small "huh?" sound. He looked up at Sebastian wearily – to his surprise, the raven-haired doctor had his same old smile on his face.

"I think it's time for a new safe house."

The comment was so out of the blue, and Ciel didn't know where the small spark of energy came from, but he couldn't help himself but to laugh and agree.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

So where are the others? Is Pluto still alive? What will happen to the other children of the Hospital? What are Angela's REAL motives? Apart from insanity, of course. To find out, tune in next time with Subject Thirteen's Butler! (totally not doing a cheesy ad commercial here.)

SO SUE ME. *dies miserably on the floor*

…please review you guys. I need some love. I've recently discovered that I can't have tea for a while; I'm sick and my stomach hates me when I combine lactose and glucose with hot water and tea leaves. ;A; it's like Ciel's condition, just without the drugs.

_- Mercy_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

I've been having tea-withdrawal symptoms lately. These include excessive tiredness, heavy sleeping, not wanting to eat, and working incredibly long hours for the past five days IN A ROW at a shoe shop. Oohhhh goooooood.

And I haven't had the energy to write. But I tried a cup of tea today, and so far I haven't been sick (yet) but let's not hold our breath.

ANYWHORE. Here is this pathetic little chapter after the mind blowing block-buster action packed chapter sixteen – asldknalsd just go read and review please. also this is completely unbeta read so if the grammar and spelling and shit sucks, i'm sorry :P

_- Mercy_

…

_coming up with witty chapter titles is getting really hard. I've already made a bunch of anime, song and wonderland references!_

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen:**Licking the Wounds

**-:-**

Somewhere above his head, there was the sound of a heart monitor beeping. Regularly, steadily. Pluto winced as he opened his eyes into the blinding fluorescent overhead lights as the world slowly faded in around him. He was in a hospital bed. In…a rather comfortable looking hospital room. This was not _the_ Hospital. He turned his aching head to look out the window, and realized that this wasn't even any hospital that he recognized – the buildings outside the window looked unfamiliar to any area of London where there was a hospital located. It was late afternoon, though he couldn't tell what hour – the sun was beginning to make its way down and out of the sky, sending stains of salmon pink, gold and orange light streak across the clouds. He struggled to sit up, pushing himself up on an elbow that was wrapped in a cast – and almost yelped in the dull flash of pain as he put weight on his arm.

"Oh good, you're awake."

He turned to see a tall man dressed in a finely pressed black suit standing by the door; the man had neatly combed black hair and carried a manila folder under one arm. His hands were gloved.

"Who're you?" Pluto demanded, feeling himself tense. He had no clue where he was, who he was in the care of. He had to remain defensive for as long as possible until he could ascertain whether or not these people were a threat. The man standing at the door readjusted his thick-framed glasses and cleared his throat.

"My name is William T Spears, and you are currently in the care of the Dispatch Association." The man said tersely, as if he expected Pluto to jump up and try to bite him at any moment. "You were brought in by two of my staff – agents Humphries and Slingby – late yesterday evening."

Pluto narrowed his eyes – this was bad. He was in the hands of the Dispatch. And he had no idea if Ciel was safe. Ciel was the number one priority – that's what Sebastian had always drilled into them all; no matter what, ensure Ciel's safety and survival. As far as he could tell, he'd done his best. He'd caused a distraction long enough for Sebastian to get Ciel as far away from the hotel as possible. What if it hadn't been enough…?

"Don't try to escape." Agent Spears' voice broke through his train of thought, obviously seeing Pluto glance quickly around the room by way of analysing possible escape routes. "You are in safe hands here and we have no intention of harming you. However we have many questions we would like to ask you about the Phantomhive boy – he's been spotted repeatedly in the last few days in your care, along with several other members involved in the case we are currently investigating."

"Bite me," Pluto rolled his eyes. "I ain't sayin' jack."

"Well far be it from us to force you." The man with the glasses said, as if Pluto was merely politely refusing a cup of tea. "We do have our methods, however."

"Methods of what? Constantly puttin' the kid in danger?" Pluto growled. "If you and your stinkin' agents weren't so gun-ho all the time we'd have a much easier time keepin' this whole thing under wraps from the Hospital."

"Your movements are erratic and dangerous in their own right," William T Spears said, his voice sounding a little strained. "You and your associates are constantly endangering the likelihood of the boy's survival. But if you were to hand him over to us – "

"_Hand him over_?!" Pluto exclaimed. "What d'ya take him for, ya dolt? He's a _human bein'_, for crying in a bucket!"

"He's also a traumatized young boy who has been put through hell." William T Spears shot back just as quickly. "Don't you think that he'd be far happier to be reunited with his parents after all this is said and done?"

"You _wouldn't_ give him back to his folks," snarled Pluto, slowly getting up and swinging his legs over the side of the hospital bed. His knees ached and there was a bandage wrapped around his ribcage, which tinged in pain every time he took a deep breath, but he ignored it. "You'd keep him locked up forever like some sorta zoo exhibit – you're no better than those cretin's back at the Hospital!"

William T Spears readjusted his glasses, a stern frown slashing his brow. His serious expression went from deadpan to irritated.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't lower us to the same standards you hold those imbeciles at, thank you very much," he huffed. "And our job is not to 'lock him up forever' as you put it. Our job is to overturn the Hospital and expose it for the hellhole it is. If in that process we must detain people involved for a time, then that is what we will do."

"Yeah right. No one who's been arrested by you lot _ever_ has seen the light of day ever again." Pluto said accusatively, wincing as he got a little unsteadily to his feet.

"I beg your pardon, but I find that completely untrue." William T Spears said, his brow twitching in agitation. "After all. Weren't you there the other day when we had one of our prime sources of information let out into the custody of one of our agents in an attempt to lure out the boy and his Keeper?"

Pluto was stunned, and he felt an icy chill run down his spine. Grell had promised that only he knew about this. No other Dispatch agents were involved. He'd promised that was no back-up to keep tabs on him…that they were completely safe…

"I see from your expression that it's true." Spears didn't look even slightly pleased or surprised. "You see, I had another agent tail Agent Sutcliff that day and he reported back a sighting of you, the Phantomhive boy and his Keeper, Dr Michaelis. All of you allegedly met with Agent Sutcliff and the young therapist we'd released into his custody and spent over an hour in the therapist's almost derelict house. He watched the house from across the street for the entire time. However Agent Sutcliff left empty handed – even though he'd been sent on assignment to capture the boy and the Keeper."

Pluto swallowed hard. He might be able to save this situation – just maybe. That idiot Grell should never have been trusted in the first place – that two-timing ass. What Sebastian saw in him, Pluto would never know. But he had to make it seem like Grell didn't let them go; that would benefit the group and he would fill them in about it later.

"He…he didn't have much of a choice in returning without Dr Michaelis or the kid." He said, and William T Spears raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? The wretch Sutcliff reported that the boy and his Keeper never showed in the first place. Even though our agent followed them closely the entire time."

_Yes._ Pluto thought. _I can use this to my advantage._ "Well, you see, he was lying. Probably to try and cover up his uselessness. We showed up, all right. But he was unable to get a hold of any of us – I went along with them as a guard, ya know? I held him off as we escaped through the back. That's why your other agent didn't see none of us go."

"So why did he trail you all back to the park before you went your separate ways?" Spears sounded unimpressed, and Pluto blinked as he realized that that was true – they had left Drocell's house together.

_Shit._

"Uh…"

William T Spears sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose gently between thumb and forefinger as if he had a headache he was attempting to will away.

"Look. We will not hold you in this room against this room. We merely ask that you do not attempt to leave before you have healed to a certain extent. You should be fine in a day or two." He said, and Pluto felt surprised.

"You're not…not gonna torture me or anything?"

William T Spears had turned on his heel to leave, but he paused as his hand rested on the door handle.

"Don't be absurd. You're free to wander around the facility wherever there aren't any 'Staff Only' signs. Just don't get under any of my agents feet and be back here every four hours for the regular check-up by the nurses." He glanced back at Pluto over his shoulder. "And please don't attempt to call your friends, if you wish for them to stay undercover and in hiding. All calls in and out of this facility are traced. And your personal phone was badly damaged by Agent Slingby in the fight you had in the Hotel. You will be reimbursed for that."

And with that, the man in the glasses disappeared out of the room, leaving Pluto standing there, so stunned he could hear his own heartbeat. Or, of course, that could have just been the heart monitor still beeping away, and his imagination.

**-:-**

There was something undeniably flavoursome and wonderful smelling about the dream that Ciel was currently immersed in, until he realized that the smell wasn't coming from his dream – and he slowly began to wake to the sounds and atmosphere around him. He had slept for a long time, and deeply, too – as he looked up from the pillow beneath his head and out the small, grimy window he saw that it was already after sunset. How many hours, how many days had gone by? How long had he slept? He vaguely remembered being carried by Sebastian into a small shop, the ringing of the bell on the door, and welcome from someone's familiar voice.

And now, the spicy smells of curry were waking him gently. Looking around, Ciel saw he was in a small storage room with a single bed and a mattress on the floor next to it – someone else had obviously slept there, seeing as the blanket they had used was strewn carelessly over the mattress. Yawning and sitting up, Ciel knew exactly where he was; the Asman Kadar. The little curry shop that Soma and Agni ran. And that knowledge gave him such comfort that he barely even felt like he'd been running for his life just a day or so ago. He felt so safe here.

Getting up and swinging his aching legs over the side of the bed, Ciel stood and gingerly stretched – every muscle in his arms, back and legs ached from the other day's unexpected exertion of running and ab-sailing-by-belt before crashing a-la-dumpster. He looked at his hands when he stretched his fingers, only to have small stabs of pain shoot through them – splinters. Wonderful.

With a sigh, he picked his way out of the storeroom and into the kitchen area of the curry shop – standing at one of the large stoves was Agni, with his back to Ciel, humming softly. Ciel by-passed the large man, not wanting to disturb him, and took a look out into the front of the shop. Soma was sitting behind the counter on a stool, drinking something powerfully coffee-smelling. There weren't many customers in the shop, and the night was quiet for business.

"Ah, good evening!" Soma greeted him cheerfully, and Ciel rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand to shake the last of the sleepiness from them.

"What time is it?" he asked, and Soma glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"About nine. You sure do know how to sleep, my friend!" the older boy smiled as he stood from his stool and turned to the coffee machine. "You'll want something warm to help wake you up – do you take your coffee white or black?"

Ciel blinked – before realizing that Soma was merely asking whether or not he took milk with his tea, and wasn't actually passing any racist comment at all. He also then realized that he couldn't ever remember drinking coffee in his past life and liking it.

"Oh, uh – no coffee thank you."

"Tea?"

"Yes please." Ciel smiled, and Soma nodded and fished a cup out of an overheard cupboard to begin preparing it. He watched as the young Indian man set about taking out the sugar container, a box of tea bags. Then, he realized that in the quiet of the evening and under the noise of the workings of the kitchen behind him, he thought he could hear Sebastian's voice. "Hey Soma?"

"Mmm?" Soma glanced over his shoulder at Ciel – he had the handle of a teaspoon held in his mouth, as his hands were preoccupied with fixing the lid on the box of tea bags.

"Where's Sebastian?"

Soma stopped what he was doing and took the spoon from between his teeth. "Uuuh, I think he's outside. At the pay-phone on the corner. He'll be in a second."

Ciel went to the front window of the shop and pressed his face to the glass – sure enough, Sebastian was standing with his back to him at the corner of the block where there was a pay-phone. He looked relaxed, but Ciel could see him glance around every so often to scan his surroundings. His voice was carrying quietly through the night air and in through the open front door – Ciel stepped out into the cool evening and let the gentle breeze hit his face. He couldn't make out what Sebastian was saying, so he just allowed himself to settle down onto the doorstep, arms hugging his knees to his chest, and waited.

A moment later, Soma appeared behind him with a steaming hot cup of tea, and handed it down to Ciel.

"Drink up," Soma smiled, his own coffee cup still in his other hand. "You'll find yourself happier for it."

Ciel nodded and sipped away at the hot tea; the godly beverage slid down his throat and warmed his belly – the sensation of it was wonderful, and he found himself smiling into his cup. Soma sighed calmly and leant against the doorframe behind him.

"How long have I been asleep?" Ciel asked softly, glancing up at his Indian friend.

"About a day. Sebastian woke up about two hours ago – the two of you were so exhausted," he replied, and Ciel nodded along. That sounded about right. At that moment, they heard the click of the pay-phone being hooked back up and Sebastian's footsteps approaching.

"Good evening, sleepy-head," the doctor smirked down at Ciel, who shrugged.

"I was tired."

"I noticed." Sebastian nodded, and Ciel sipped at his tea again, making no move to get up – he was comfortable.

"Did you get through to them?" Soma asked over his head, and he looked up at Sebastian, who nodded again before exhaling deeply.

"Yeah; finally. They're hold up in one of Lau's opium dens not far from here; it won't be long if we walk, but I'm reluctant to move around these streets at night." He replied, and Ciels ears pricked at the mention of Lau – so he _was_ really a drug dealer in this life. That made more sense to him than anything else right now.

"Lau?" he asked, and Soma and Sebastian looked down at him.

"Yes," Sebastian said. "Bardroy and the others managed to convince him to let them claim sanctuary from the Dispatch officers. Apparently we weren't the only ones the two agents yesterday were after."

Ciel clambered to his feet, suddenly all ears. "What happened to them? Are they okay?"

"They're fine, it's okay," Sebastian said, patting him reassuringly on the shoulder. "I got the whole story from Bard. Apparently the Dispatch had set an officer to trail Angeline Dalles from the London Metro Hospital wherever she went, in case she somehow led them to us. She, not knowing she was being followed, went to the safe house at the hotel to drop off some supplies – medication, a few extra bandages, stuff like that. Apparently they only got out just before the agents got up there because of Mey-Rin's acute hearing; they managed to flee the safe house moments before the agents busted in. Which was mere minutes before we arrived back. You know our end of the story – but Finni called in a favour with Lau and got him to let them stay undercover for a while; your aunt's still with them at the moment."

Ciel sighed with relief – he had been too exhausted the night before to worry about the others; and they hadn't even crossed his mind until just now when they'd been brought up in conversation. Suddenly, someone else crossed his mind.

"W-what about Pluto? Is he all right?"

Sebastian and Soma exchanged glances – Ciel realized that this was not good news.

"Pluto…is missing." Sebastian said, sounding a little strained. "I went back to survey the hotel an hour ago and he had disappeared. Looks like everything's been swept clean by the guys at the Dispatch, as well."

"So either the Dispatch have your friend, or he got away beforehand." Soma concluded, and Sebastian nodded. Ciel felt something drop in his stomach; he didn't know Pluto as well as the others, but he had always just been _there_. Rejoining the others without him wouldn't be the same. He had been one of the best protectors of the group, one of the toughest.

"I hope he's okay." He said softly, and Sebastian gave him a pat on the head, ruffling his hair a little. When he looked up at the doctor, he saw Sebastian had that same old smile.

"If I know Pluto, he'll be fine. He knows how to look after himself."

Ciel knew that Sebastian was trying to be comforting, but he also knew that if Pluto was in the hands of the Dispatch, anything could happen. And that, he felt, was what scared him the most.

"When will you want to get moving?" Soma asked, breaking the tense atmosphere, and Sebastian glanced up at him.

"As soon as possible. But I think we'll have to wait til tomorrow – there's no safe way to Lau's den by foot at this time of night." He sighed, but Soma shrugged.

"It's no problem – we'll take you. We go on rounds, you see, around the neighbourhood to drop off curry buns to those who can't pay or make it here to the shop. We'll take you in the van and drop you off as close as possible." He said, and before Sebastian could argue, he held up his hands. "And we don't take no for an answer."

Ciel found himself smirking – Sebastian looked a little miffed at being told he had no say in the matter, but he had a feeling that the doctor was incredibly grateful to Soma's kindness and generosity.

"Fine," Sebastian said, before casting another quick look up and down the street. "When do we leave?"

Soma grinned and pulled a keyring full of keys from his pocket. "I'll get Agni to load the van. We go in ten."

**-:-**

"Aw, what are _you_ doing here?"

Pluto glanced around the office. It was nice enough, plain and quite simple, but at least it was tidy. For the most part, anyway. The desk that sat before him was piled high with stacks of papers and files; and the occupant of the desk looked less than pleased to see him, no matter how cheerfully he'd called for Pluto to enter when Pluto had knocked.

"I want some answers."

Grell Sutcliff rolled his eyes and leant back in his leather desk chair. "You're not even supposed to _be_ up here – didn't Will tell you to keep your hands to yourself or something?"

Pluto shrugged and closed Grell's office door behind him, leaning back against and folding his arms, being careful of his cast. "He told me not to annoy anyone."

Grell glared at him from behind his red-framed glassed.

"You're annoying _me_, buster, now _beat it_."

The silver haired young man shook his head. "Nope. There were no 'staff only' signs around this area, and your boss said I'm free to wander so long as I don't try to escape. I intend to make full use of that."

"By pissing me off?"

"By getting some answers." Pluto corrected him. "Your boss also said he'd have me released in a few days. I want to know what's going on with that."

Grell sighed and laced his fingers behind his head in boredom. "What's to know? You had the crap beaten out of you unnecessarily and he's trying to say no hard feelings without getting all mushy about it."

"But I'm associated in the case you're all so desperately pursuing."

"True enough," Grell yawned. "But you're also not the guy we're looking for. Unless Will wants to drill you for information on the Hospital."

"And why hasn't he done so yet? You said it yourself – he'll take anything he can and use it as evidence." Pluto said, crossing one leg over the other casually. He had been wandering around the Dispatch getting odd looks from the agents for the passed hour – he knew he couldn't ask just anyone about William T Spears's odd behaviour, and Grell was probably the most reliable source of answers in this situation even if he _was_ an ass.

"Did _I_ say that?" Grell mused to himself, and Pluto growled. "I might have said that that's what the Dispatch as a whole does, but Will often works by his own principles. Sure thing, he does whatever it takes to get the job done, and that's exactly what he's doing."

"By letting go what could be a valuable asset to the investigation?" Pluto smirked. "Sounds like he's got his priorities wrong. He'll never get his hands on Ciel no matter how hard he tries if he doesn't grasp at every straw."

Grell raised an eyebrow at him, his expression one of amusement. "Are you trying to bait us, puppy-boy? Oh trust me, it won't work. Will knows what he's doing here – he'll get to you and you won't even realize it."

Pluto raised both eyebrows in response.

"Oh? How?"

Grell let his lips turn upwards in a sly grin.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, kid. Will might play by the rules but he's also written his own little rulebook for when it comes to gaining information. He's giving you this freedom until you're ready to leave because he _wants_ you to think that he's dumb and letting go of an important beneficial associate on this case. Then he'll sit you down for a little talk; a minor interrogation, he'll say. And then, he'll _crush_ you." The redhead smirked, and Pluto wasn't sure whether or not to trust what he was saying – things might turn out that way; then again, they might not. He had to keep on his toes about everything that went on here, and no matter what, he had to escape. That was also high on his to-do list.

"And what if you're lying?"

Grell scoffed and laughed. "I've got many reasons to lie, kid, but I never joke about what my Will is capable of. Trust me, I've known him for a very long time, and there's not much more to know about William T Spears than what I already know. I'm telling you this because if I let him break you, my darling Bassy will break me."

"Ah," Pluto said with a smirk of his own. "You're scared of what Sebastian might do if he finds out that the Dispatch is holding me here. Against my own will."

"That's only half of it. Sebastian and Will have a long-running feud that you've almost undoubtedly heard of by now. It runs long and deep – which is what makes them both so determined to keep that little brat Ciel for themselves. So, because you're one of Bassy's little family who like to play house now you're all out of the Hospital, he'll be determined to get you back, won't he?"

"And if I don't get back to them in less than mint condition, there's going to be hell to pay?" Pluto asked, and Grell shrugged.

"Pretty much. I hate to think that it would endanger my little agreement with Bassy; and if Will were to find out, I would most likely be killed. Will isn't one to hesitate when it comes to something like that." The redhead replied. "So I'm giving you this chance to outwit Will – it let's us all go home unscathed at the end of the day."

Pluto let out a long sigh before straightening up. He was glad the extent of his injuries wasn't more than just his busted wrist – this way he'd still be able to fight if necessary – conking people upside the head sounded pretty appealing the more he thought about it.

"Well then, thanks." He said, finding himself feeling a little humbled. "I came for answers, and I got them. So thanks."

"_Good_." Grell stretched and yawned again before sitting up straight himself. "Now, if you're done pestering me, I've got paperwork to get back to."

Pluto smirked to himself as he turned to leave, but Grell spoke again just as he'd taken hold of the door handle.

"Oh, and by the way,"

"What?" he glanced back over his shoulder at the redhead, who had leant forward to rest his elbows on the desk in front of him, steepling his fingers under his chin.

"Don't keep coming to my office. People might start to talk, you know? Then my whole undercover-double-agent act would be ruined."

Pluto chuckled.

"Don't worry. I'm not planning on it." He replied quietly as he slipped out and back into the hallway, the door clicking shut behind him.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

YOU HAVE YOUR ANSWERS. All in one chapter. Oh GOD this chapter sucked so much xD I'm so very, VERY sorry for keeping you all waiting, and then only producing this measly little thing. It's not up to my standards at ALL. DX

Anyhow on another note I've had a few requests and I'd just like to pose the question to you all out there; would you like me to write a Kuroshitsuji yaoi about Sebastian and Ciel?

TELL ME IN A REVIEW! GO! THE LITTLE BOX DOWN THERE IS BEGGING FOR YOUR LOVE. GO LOVE IT. PLEASE.

_- Mercy_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

18 chapter and 170 or so review later since I started this a good two and a bit months ago. What progress we've made! Things are starting to warm up as Ciel is slowly but steady getting answers and moving towards his goal; and you'll all finally find out what Sebastian said to Alan, too! (spoiler; it's not 'suck me off', just for those who were wondering. But I wouldn't put anything passed our good old Bassy…)

MOST BEAUTIFUL DEATH IN THE WORLD IS DOING ANOTHER PERFORMANCE IN MAY. IT'S OFFICIAL. YUYA (sebastian) AND UREHARA (grell) ARE ALREADY ON BOARD, AND IT LOOKS LIKE YUKITO (ciel) WILL ALSO BE MAKING A RETURN PERFORMANCE!

…fuck. Yukito's my age…he's like, eighteen this year O_o and he's playing a thirteen year old…HOLY SHIT. This is chapter eighteen…of a story which has "thirteen" in the title…COINCIDENCE MUCH?!

I'll stop now.

_- Mercy_

…

_OH OH HEY! Any of you wanna stalk me on Tumblr? I only ask because I post random shit that might make you smile. And MLP stuff. Just look for __**masks-and-butterflies**__. Dats me._

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen:** Of Crow, Boy, Spider and Lilac.

**-:-**

It was getting close to about ten-thirty or so when the small panel van trundled down a narrow road that connected the streets on either side of two large, derelict buildings that's only occupants were dust mites, cockroaches and the occasional squatter. This was East London at it's finest in the night-time; every so often someone would stumble across the street or trip in a gutter or yell and toss a broken bottle from a window, but other than that, many lights were dimmed to low and the streets of the East End were rather quiet.

Ciel however, saw none of it, as he and Sebastian were sitting in the back of the van besides several box-loads of burry buns that were to be distributed amongst the homeless this night. Soma had said something about a regular routine of this; he and Agni would cook during the day and serve anyone who came through the door, and at night, they were take out the left overs and spares from what they could not sell and deliver them to several drop-off points where people who could not make it to the shop would gather and wait for them. Ciel thought about, and he wondered how Soma and Agni got the finances to pay for their efforts. He couldn't remember seeing Soma taking much money in return for the curry he would serve people in the shop; and Soma had insisted on having Ciel eat at least one bun before they left – Ciel could tell, somehow, that the ingredients weren't just run-of-the-mill or of poor quality; it was all of incredible value. And yet they lived in such a rundown area. Who payed for it all?

"Are you still tired?" Sebastian's voice woke him from his spaced-out state, and Ciel shook himself a little.

"A bit," he admitted. "But I'm fine."

Sebastian smiled softly and nodded, and they lulled back into silence as the van continued on its way through the narrow streets, until coming to a slightly squeaky stop as the brakes creaked into action. They heard Soma and Agni get out of the driver and passenger seats up the front, and moments later the back doors were pulled open.

"Okay, this is as far as we can take you," Soma said softly, offering Ciel a helping hand out of the back of the van. "If we go any further, we run the risk of getting ourselves into more trouble than we can handle. Delinquents will do anything for food these days."

Sebastian nodded as he hopped down behind Ciel, and Soma yawned and stretched. Agni called Sebastian to give him a hand unloading one of the three crates that had been stacked away in the back of the van, and Ciel turned to Soma.

"Where do you deliver these?"

"There's a small depot not far from here, just down that street –" Soma replied, pointing down a very dark alleyway that looked to Ciel to be incredibly uninviting. "In it is a nest of people who are unaccepted by the rest of society; without us, they starve, because merely showing their faces is a crime in the eyes of some around here. This is our first stop off of the night, and there are two drop-offs more on a round-a-bout trip back to the shop."

Ciel looked around them; it was a cool night out, and the sky was clear, showing the stars. But many of them and much of the sky was blotted out by the sheets and blankets that would be strung up, high in the air, from rooftop to rooftop, and the sky was only really visible when you stood out in the open.

"So how did you come to own the Asman Kadar?" he asked quietly, keeping his voice low despite knowing that no one would probably hear him. Soma laughed softly.

"That's quite the story." He said. "It started when I was very young – my father was a very important business in India, and he brought me with him on one of his trips over here to England. He had Agni, one of my families most trusted bodyguards, assigned to keep me safe at all times whilst here."

Ciel felt his ears perk up – so Soma was Indian born and bred after all; it made quite a bit of sense really; he knew Soma as a prince. In reality, he was still very high-class if his father owned a business that imported and exported to and from other countries.

"But when we were supposed to be leaving, he warned me, 'Soma, I have some things to do before our flight. Do not wander away and do not miss the plane. If you do, I'm not coming back for you.' – at first, I thought it was an empty threat. What father would leave his son behind?" Soma scoffed to himself. "But we did miss the plane – I got distracted by something and Agni of course stayed with me. We lost track of time and the next thing I knew, we were watching the plane disappear into the sky, my father along with it."

"That's terrible!" Ciel objected. "He just _abandoned_ you?!"

Soma smiled gently, and cast a look over at Agni, who was still manoeuvring the heavy crate of curry buns onto a trolley with Sebastian's help.

"I thought so at first. It took me weeks to get in touch with him; finally, I managed to make the international call. He told me that he had warned me; and this was my punishment. He was always very strict on that. So, he said that until I could learn to focus and keep my eyes on the prize, not let go until I reach my goals, I was to stay here and make my own way in the world. He knew he could leave me, because Agni was with me, and Agni had sworn on the blood of my household that he would not let me come to any harm."

Ciel blinked. "And you opened a curry shop?"

"Well, we started out in need of work. You see, Agni holds the password to my life-savings account back in India, which I'm not allowed to access til I'm twenty-one years old. My father knows that and trusts him with it. And we were in need of work if we were to stay afloat. The Asman Kadar used to be a little café, not a curry shop. We worked there for a few years until the manager discovered Agni's secret."

"What was that?" Ciel was the one to look over at Agni this time, who was now prying open the lid to the wooden crate with a pry-bar whilst Sebastian held the trolley steady and held down the rest of the crate so it wouldn't flip.

"His specialty," Soma grinned. "While Agni is an excellent and incredibly capable manservant and bodyguard, he also had a secret love of cooking. More specifically, cooking traditional Indian curry. The café became quite popular for several months – finally, the manager simply handed the business over to us. We were both quite surprised but we didn't need anyone else; I knew as well as the next man how to operate the till and do maths; and Agni was the chef."

Ciel watched Agni and Sebastian in silence for a moment; the wooden lid of the crate had finally cracked open and was sitting beside the crate ready to be put back into the van, and the two older men were sharing a quiet joke; Ciel saw Sebastian chuckle softly.

"And how do you manage to get by? I can't say that it looks like you make much money doing volunteer work," he said, and Soma shrugged.

"We…have a sort of system down here in the East End," the Indian teen said. "Think of it a bit like a hand-me-down line. You've seen the homeless people begging for money in the streets?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, collectively, they make a good lot of money. They put it all together and give it to us; it pays for any ingredients that we need, plus if there's a little left over, it goes towards keeping us comfortable. In return, we make the curry of all varieties and deliver it around the area so that everyone gets something. It's a cycle – they, now happily fed with curry, go back about their begging business." Soma said, drawing circles in the air with his finger and making big gestures with his hands. Ciel considered this; it didn't sound too bad. And those who could afford to pay in store were also contributors, obviously.

"That's not a bad way to make a living." He said, and Soma nodded.

"Mmm – someday, when we've saved enough money, I plan on going back to India, and I'll show my father. I'll show him that my goal has been bringing satisfaction to other people. I don't care if he doesn't approve of the working conditions, or the place, whatever – I'll have shown him that I'm not hopeless." The young man smiled, and Ciel let a small smile slip from his lips; it was a dream Soma was working towards. And it was a charitable aspiration.

Agni and Sebastian appeared at their sides.

"Are you ready to go?" Agni asked, clapping a hand on Soma's shoulder, and the teenager smiled again.

"Of course – we'd better get moving; we don't want to be late," he said, before pausing, as if just realizing what he'd said. Then, he laughed, and Ciel laughed with him – ignoring the rather confused look from the two older men.

They shook hands, Soma gave Ciel a brotherly hug, and they wished each other good luck as the two parties turned their separate ways; Soma and Agni wheeling the trolley of goods down the small, dark alleyway, and Ciel and Sebastian moving off in the opposite direction, keeping to the edge of the street as they headed towards where Sebastian had said one of Lau's opium dens was hidden.

The cool air on his skin sent goosebumps up Ciel's arms, considering he was only wearing the same T-shirt and pair of slightly over-sized jeans from two days ago; the meeting with Drocell and Grell seemed so long ago. He still wore the tennis shoes that had once been Finni's, and despite having slept for so long, he still felt extremely tired. Sebastian had told him that it was a side effect; he was used to be unconscious for so long, that being awake for extended periods would cause fatigue because his internal clock was still re-adjusting to his new condition.

The T-shirt he wore was now torn and had several holes in it from where he'd landed among the picture frames that had cracked and splintered around him, puncturing and tearing at the thin fabric, but the tears were minimal compared to how Sebastian's shirt had faired – the long sleeve grey shirt that the doctor wore had several large holes ripped through the back and across the front along with several puncture holes. It looked like he'd had the shirt slashed with a knife, and had been given a spare shirt of Agni's by the tall Indian curry chef. The new one had some sort of logo printed on the front in a different language that Ciel was guessing was either Japanese or Chinese. But he couldn't tell the difference.

"Hey," he said, suddenly thinking about the events of the past few days, something cropping up in his mind. "Remember when we were hiding under the ledge of the hotels roof to hide from the Dispatch agents?"

Sebastian nodded. "Yeah."

"What did you say to Agent Humphries?" Ciel asked, looking up at Sebastian, who didn't return the glance. "You said something to him; you mouthed it so the other guy wouldn't hear him – what did you say?"

Sebastian seemed to consider this for a few moments, before sighing deeply and rolling his shoulders back as if to stretch them as he walked.

"I'm not sure you'd want to know."

"What do you mean?" Ciel demanded. "Of course I want to know."

The raven-haired doctor cast a long, silent glance at him, eyebrows sceptically risen.

"Sure?"

Ciel nodded.

"Sure I'm sure."

They past a large building with it's lights still on – the sound of music and a party going on inside was clearly audible as the noise wafted through the open front door and windows that faced onto the street. There was a young lady of about Mey-Rin's age sitting on the front steps that led up to the door; in one hand was a cigarette, in the other was a half-empty bottle of alcohol, and a wad of money was stuffed down her skimpy top.

"Hey there, boys," she called softly, her voice a little hoarse. Sebastian kept a firm hand on Ciel's shoulder, keeping him walking at his side. "Wanna good time? C'mon, guys – you look like you wanna little fun."

She was wiggling her eyebrows at Sebastian, who merely ignored her and continued on his way, and Ciel didn't have the courage to look back at her over his shoulder. There was the sound of her taking a drink, her clunky silver bracelets jangling against the glass of the bottle, and then she yelled after them vulgarly.

"_Oi_, fine then! _Take_ yer little slut home and _fuck him good_, ya faggot!" She hollered, and Ciel felt humiliation wipe its smarmy self all over him – he knew he was blushing redder than a tomato, and he knew that Sebastian had felt him tense at her remark.

"Ignore her. She's drunk." Sebastian said simply, only letting go of Ciel's shoulder when they were well away from the sounds of the drunken party. Quiet resumed for several minutes as they kept a brisk pace.

"So?" Ciel asked, a little more timidly once he'd managed to calm himself down. "I still want to know." He needed something to take his mind off the words that woman had yelled. Sebastian wasn't like that, and Ciel had no right to get paranoid that he would be. Sebastian was…just Sebastian. A doctor, forced to do bad things against his will. And now he was making things right.

Sebastian sighed. "Fine. I threatened him."

"With what?"

"With your life."

Ciel stopped dead in his tracks, and stared at Sebastian. The doctor took a few more steps before seeing that Ciel had paused, and swallowed hard. "Look, I didn't have much of a choice. I know he has a weakness, and I used that to buy our escape."

"What did you say?" Ciel asked slowly, and Sebastian sighed again and let his shoulders slump as he cast a glance up at the night sky before replying.

"I told him that if he said a word, I would let you fall." The doctor said, and Ciel blinked. "I know how bad it sounds, Ciel, but you have to remember, until now, everyone has thought that you and I were both dead. Now that we've both been seen alive, wouldn't it be fitting that I'm plagued by my sins and am just a little nuts?"

Ciel considered; it did make some sort of sense. Sebastian had never been above sinking to depths as low as that in his previous life to protect him; and this was proof of that. But he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine – and the cool of the evening had nothing to do with it.

"O-okay," he murmured, and started walking again. He rejoined Sebastian and they kept going.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I didn't want to scare you with it, so I – "

"I _get it_, Sebastian. Just drop it."

They lapsed back into silence; this one far less comfortable than the others that had occurred that night.

**-:-**

Lau's opium den turned out to be very dark indeed. Hidden away down a little side-street, around the back of several dumpsters and trashcans piled up together to hide the small door, the two other them had to duck under several low-hanging banners that exclaimed wild things in Chinese that Ciel didn't understand as they headed down a long, narrow flight of steps. They emerged into an enormous, cavern-sized den that lay buried deep beneath the street, and the stale smell of smoke and dope hung heavily in the air. Ciel coughed and swished a hand in front of his face to try and clear some of the atmosphere – it didn't do much.

Sebastian led him through the middle of the now almost desolate den; there were only very few men left down here this late in the evening. And all of them were either snoring away on the large pillows and amidst the blankets strewn about the floor along with several used bongs and cast-off cigarette stubs, or they were still smoking their lives away, conscious but off in a dreamy, drugged state.

The darkness itself down here was dimply lit with a row of softly glowing paper-lamps that lined each wall of the den, with moths fluttering around their gentle glow with no other light source available. All in all, it didn't seem all that different to how Ciel had remember it from being in his former life. But he wouldn't have thought it plausible that he'd ever been here before as a child. His father would never had deemed this place fit for a young boy like Ciel. He most likely either heard about it, imagined it, or maybe he had once seen a photograph of the place.

"Sebastian! Ciel!" Mey-Rin's voice cut through the gloom, and they looked up to see her running towards them, her face alight with joy.

"Mey," Sebastian said quietly, his voice full of relief, as he caught her full on in a hug. She squeezed him tightly before letting him go and pulling Ciel into an elated embrace which he attempted to return rather awkwardly. She was blathering something about being so happy to see them, so glad that they were all right, and all the while leading them up to other end of the den, where there was a small corner set up like a sort of lounge area, with sofa's and couches gathered around a grimy, low to the ground glass-topped coffee table. Next to one of the old sofas was a door set into the wall, and she opened it and led them through into what appeared to be a storeroom of sorts.

"This way," she said. "It's not so smoky where Mister Lau is letting us stay – it's even upstairs!"

They followed her down the narrow corridors that wound their way through the storeroom, until they'd reached the other end, where she led them up a small flight up steps to another door; pushing through that, they emerged into what appeared to be a small kitchen.

"So that's like a basement?" Ciel asked, inhaling deeply with relief – the air here wasn't stale at all; the window over the sink was thrown wide open to let in the night air.

"Mmhmm," Mey-Rin smiled. "Everyone else is asleep right now, but I offered to remain on guard until you go here."

"And we're glad you did," Sebastian said with a smile of his own.

"It sounds like you certainly had an interesting escapade on your way here – Bard said something about ab-sailing with a belt?" Mey-Rin asked, a curious frown on her, face, just as there was a noise from the doorway across the kitchen that obviously led out into the rest of the house.

"Uhnn…Meeeey, what's…" Finni stumbled into view, rubbing his eyes sleepily, and he blinked several times until he realized that he wasn't dreaming. "Oh my – Ciel! Sebastian! You're back, safe and sound!"

Ciel accepted Finnian's welcoming hug a little more graciously than he had Mey-Rin's – he hadn't seen Mey-Rin's hug coming, but Finni's arms had been open wide with a big smile as he'd come into the kitchen to greet them. Even Sebastian accepted a hug from the young blonde, smiling and ruffling his hair. Ciel stood back and smiled to himself, just a little – this felt like a family. The others were happy that they were safely back. It might not be home, but they were all together, and that was what mattered.

Then, his face fell. All together, except for Pluto. The silver-haired young mans face flashed through his mind momentarily, but he was pulled from thought as Mey-Rin pushed a hot cup of something sweet and chocolate smelling into his hands, ushering him to sit down at the worn wooden table to drink. Soon, Bardroy appeared, asking what all the ruckus was about, and soon after that, Angeline Dalles also emerged into the kitchen, and Ciel was once again pulled into a delighted embrace. He didn't mind it so much – the smell of Madame Red's clothes, her laugh and smile, her whole presence in the room, reminded him so very much of how he thought his own mother would be. Perhaps it was just his imagination, because he couldn't remember that much about his mother, but perhaps it was because they were sisters. He didn't know, but as the night wore on and they swapped stories and laughed about it all in hindsight, he didn't really mind.

**-:-**

There were lights still on in the laboratory. It was now well after midnight, but Claude Faustus was still entrenched in his work. The dark-haired scientist was peering into a microscope at a DNA sample, occasionally paused to scribble furiously into his notebook. There was a rack of tubes holding various colour liquids, and he took one and collected some of it's contents in an eye-dropper before adding just a drop to the sample.

After some intense concentration, Claude sighed deeply and pushed himself away from his desk, rubbing his sore eyes beneath his glasses. He cast a long look over at the sensory deprivation chamber across the room – he'd had Subject Twelve moved into his lab under the Directors nose; after all, all the Director was concerned with right now was his precious Subject Thirteen, which was still missing, and his precious wife, who had returned to the Hospital looking worse for wear. Claude had heard rumours from the nurses in Angela Bloque's ward that Angela had gone hand-to-hand with Sebastian Michaelis; something that Claude had laughed out loud at. He hated that mans guts, but he also held a deep respect for Sebastian; no one could best Sebastian in a fight. Especially a woman. The fact that Angela Bloque had returned alive was a miracle in itself. Michaelis was a ruthless bastard when it came to a fight; Claude remembered one incident in particular that had ended up with Claude in the infirmary for a broken nose and several broken fingers, not to mention a minor concussion from Michaelis swinging a fire extinguisher at his head. And not missing, either.

All because Claude had added a little something extra to Michaelis' latest formula for Subject Thirteen – a little concoction of his own. As it turned out, the boy had a terrible reaction to the drug and had almost drowned. Of course, Michaelis knew _exactly_ who to blame; he always knew.

Now, all Claude had left was Subject Thirteen. He had nothing but this blonde boy who would never be as good as the one and only Ciel Phantomhive. No matter what he did, his research and experimentation would never be as good as that of Doctor Sebastian Michaelis. He knew that for a fact. A knock on his laboratory door shook him from his reverie.

"Who is it?"

Two soft knocks came in reply. Sighing to himself, he rocked back in his chair reached for a keypad on his desk. There was a soft beep and the door slid open obediently.

"What're you still doing here? I would have thought you'd have gone hours ago." He said, not turning around.

"Well, I felt there was some unfinished business I had to get done," high heels clicked over the lino floor, and, moments later, smooth, tanned arms wound their way around Claudes neck, long, tanned fingers tipped with purple-painted fingernails stroking the underside of his chin.

"Business here?" he asked, hardly even noticing the caress. Doctor Hannah Annafellows, Keeper of Subject Ten, smirked and leant down close to his ear.

"Not here. I was finishing up some tests of Luca before I decided to stop in to see you," she purred, inhaling the rich scent of Claude's sleek black hair. She often thought that he would be far more handsome dressed in black; it was a colour that complimented his pale skin. The Hospital's formal white lab coats made him look ill and sickly; his quiet endeavours only serving to have him whispered about behind his back by his fellow co-workers.

"Have you made any progress?"

Hannah sighed, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "No. He's still as unresponsive as ever. I've considered and attempted all possibilities but one."

Claude's ears seemed to perk up at that. "All but one?" he repeated, and Hannah nodded as she straightened up, beginning to slowly massage Claude's broad, tense shoulders gingerly. The doctor let out a small grunt of satisfaction as she worked her hands over his tired muscles.

"Mmm," she mused. "And I don't personally want to try it."

"Ah," Claude nodded. "That one."

"I don't even know if it's worth a try. As far as all the scans say, Luca's brain-dead. He no longer has any conscious thought."

Claude was quiet a moment, letting Hannah work her way over his shoulders. The woman wasn't good for much more than science and her good looks, but she was smart, and a real tease. He knew full well that relationships between co-workers, especially Keepers, were strictly forbidden because of the regular needs of the subjects. And he'd never really considered taking her as a partner, no matter how much she fawned over him. It wasn't _his_ fault she was lonely ever since she'd lost her husband in a divorce. And that was years ago now – why she felt she needed to seek comfort in someone like him, someone who was cold to others, and dedicated only to his work, would forever have him confused. But he didn't allowed those sorts of thoughts to muddle his concentration; not when it came to his personal subject.

"Mmm," he said quietly. For all her oddities, Hannah was, he had to admit, one of the most brilliant minds he'd ever come across. Conversing with her was like conversing with himself; intelligent, sensible, and never willing to back down from an argument worth fighting. "And you've considered the possibility that you yourself would be lost if you tried it, haven't you?"

"Yes," Hannah said quietly. "I'm not comfortable getting so close to the subjects. We might formulate their synthetic memories and lives, but we have no idea what that might make them capable of if we were to connect our minds to theirs."

"Indeed. And even a quick connection to simply see if somewhere in that mind of his he's still capable of independent thought would have lasting repercussions all round. You'd be affected; your work would be affected – it wouldn't stop rippling until news of it had reached the Director."

Hannah groaned, and Claude knew that she would be rolling her eyes. "I know. And that would most likely end with a bullet between my brows."

Claude smirked.

"And that, my dear, is what we do not want."

Hannah draped herself over his shoulders again, and smiled into his jawbone. "Not at all."

**-:-**

Three-thirty was certainly an unusual time to still be awake. But Ciel couldn't find it in himself to sleep – the room Mey-Rin had shown himself and Sebastian too wasn't very big, nor did it have more than one bed. A double. Which the two of them had to share – there wasn't enough floor space for Sebastian to sleep without hurting himself, and he refused to allow Ciel the discomfort of lying on the hard floor boards and among the grime and dust.

He watched the peacefully sleeping form of Sebastian next to him as he wrapped his arms around his knees. The doctor had still been just as tired as he was when they'd finally made it to the den, and after another hour or two of being reunited with the others with celebratory cups of tea and hot chocolate, had fallen asleep as soon as he thought Ciel had drifted off next to him. But Ciel had been awake for the past couple of hours, watching the ticking hands of Sebastian's watch on the small, chipped bedside stand wedged between the bed and the wall. Set into the wall was a window, which Ciel had pushed open to let in the night breeze, and it also let shafts of moonlight in, casting themselves over the bed, illuminating the small, cramped room somewhat.

Ciel gazed out the window and into the street below – they were up two storeys in the big old house, and just down the hall was the room that Finni and Bardroy shared, and at the other end of the hall, there was the room that Mey-Rin was bunked in with Madame Red. They had said that Mister Lau was happy to give them refuge here for the while, and that he wouldn't intrude on their privacy. Ciel sighed as he thought over the events of the past few days. It all seemed to have gone by so fast; and he wasn't any closer to finding his parents, or staying out of sight of the Dispatch – what really puzzled him was the fact that he hadn't seen hide nor hair of anyone who might be from the Hospital, come to get him back. No agents, no soldiers, no nothing. It was as if they were either waiting for their moment to strike, or simply didn't care. He thought that the latter was probably incorrect, judging by how everyone was always stressing about how important he was.

These thoughts were what kept him awake; what would happen next? Sebastian was making a good recovery from his gunshot would and any injuries he had sustained from the street fight that seemed like an eternity ago. Pluto was missing, but Mey-Rin, Finnian and Bardroy were all okay. So was Angeline Dalles. Mister Lau was kind enough to put them up for the time being; Ciel didn't know if he was going to demand any payment of any sort or not, but that would probably come when they were ready to leave. To…wherever they were going next.

And what about Ciel? He was still getting used to the modern world, little by little. He was still surprised every time he saw anyone whip out a mobile phone or walk by wearing a pair of headphones. Televisions were so advanced they seemed foreign to him, and before Finni had once shown him back at the old safe house, he would never have known what a computer was if asked. Cars were certainly miles more advanced than anything he was used to, and the electronics and mechanical workings of things like sliding doors and elevators were still a wonder to him. But, for all the things that bewildered him about this world, he still felt that somehow it wasn't so bad. That he could re-adjust. Of course, it was easier said than done.

With a soft sigh, he looked over Sebastian again. The doctor was sprawled out on his back, one hand tucked up behind his head, the other laying over his finely muscled stomach. The man was nothing short of extraordinary, Ciel knew, for all he'd done and put himself through so that Ciel might be safe. And he wasn't even an invincible, incomparable demon butler with limitless amounts of cutlery hidden up his sleeve.

He smiled a little to himself as he recalled all the times he'd seen Sebastian perform the most amazing stunts. Saving him, rebuilding half the mansion in an hour, leaping from tall buildings or moving carriages – even concocting the most delectable of dishes, served with flair and grace in a manner fit for a king. That was the Sebastian he had thought he knew. But now he thought about it, this Sebastian – this incredible master of science and hand-to-hand combat, who would risk his life for those who mattered, was far more extraordinary than the butler he had once known. That man was a different Sebastian – cold, uncaring, only in it because of the prize.

Ciel caught himself wondering – did he still have a soul? Did souls even exist? He turned his gaze out the window again, casting his eyes over the street and the surrounding buildings. Everything was quiet here. He could have heard someone sneeze from the building across the street, it was so silent. And that's when he saw the movement in the pale moonlight.

Something – no, _someone _was moving silently over the pavement. The figure was indistinct, faded, like an old photograph. Ciel's eyes widened – either he was hallucinating, or there was a ghost out there in the street. The figure turned to look right at him – and the milky white face that met his made him gasp.

The figure…the man…had a freckle – no, it was a mole, just under his right eye. His long face and kind smile, sincere eyes…and mop of dark hair. Ciel knew, without grasping for a name, exactly who he was looking at.

His father.

Ciel watched, stunned, as the spectre smiled, beckoned to him, and then stepped around the corner of the building, disappearing from sight.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN. I'm so evil. At least this chapter was a touch better than the last one; more shit happened and more people got seen. YAY HANNAH WHAT A BITCH. Seriously. Though I think she's got a soft spot for poor Luca, all brain-dead like he is. And Claude just is and always will be a prick; that much is given.

And now there's the ghost of Vincent Phantomhive wandering around – aaah, but is it real? Is Ciel just seeing things? Surely this world is far kinder…his dear father shouldn't have to be dead, right?

REVIEW AND I'LL TELL YOU, DAMMIT!

By the way…on a schneaky sidenote… a sebastianXciel smut is going to be in the works soon. Keep an eye on your inboxes, yo.

PPSSSS - I know I said I'd be sticking to anime-only characters with this story, but there's an upcoming story arc that needs a more…entertaining touch. Anyone up for a trip to the circus? *wink wink* if ya know what I mean…

_- Mercy_


	20. Chapter Nineteen

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

OKAY I've got some apologies to make for the last chapter: ONE: Yukito Nishii will NOT be returning to the revival of the 2nd Kuroshitsuji Musical (I thought he was XP). Turns out the only ones who will be returning are Yuya (Sebastian), Uehara (Grell) and Izumi (Undertaker)

**and ALSO!**

Major mishap. I got my left and right mixed up at the end of the chapter and said that Vincent Phantomhive had a mole under his right eye. BIIIG MISTAKE and thank you to the reviewer who picked me up on it! Even if I can't remember who you are you know who you are so you now know that I know that you know more about your left and right than I know! XD thanks!

**17/03/13 NOTE:**

I've been sick and stuck in bed (literally) for the past seven days. I've been so desperate to update that I've been writing this chapter in an old journal because I wasn't well enough to sit up at my computer and type it. So I'm really, REALLY sorry that I've been slow to update, I've finally been able to get back to some of you and your reviews and comments and stuff. Oh, and update too. That's, y'know, what you're all here for. So yeah I'm sorry ;A; forgive me please and gimme lots of love?

_- Mercy_

…

_hey. HEY. Who remembers Diedrich from the manga? Vincent Phantomhive's German buddy? He appears as a fat version of Hitler in the first book (coz he's always eating lol) when they're playing billiards and then they show him as a younger bloke in a flashback in volume Seven. You all should guess by now where I'm going with this. Diedrich is fucking awesome, his impatient sexy ass is getting written in here. _

_He also appears in the last few chapters of the manga when he and Vincent are still in school, and when Green House loses the cricket match to Vincent and the Blue Miracle, he becomes our lovely Vinnie's fag. XDDDDD that sounds really funny when you say it like that. Come on, everyone – say it with me: "Diedrich becomes Vinnie's fag."_

_See? Isn't that lots of fun? Aaaaah okay on with the story…_

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen:** Watchdog

**-:-**

"You called me in from America for this?"

The tall man's German companion nodded. They were both dressed plainly, yet warmly against the chill of the evening air. Jet-lagged and tired, the man who had spoke sighed and ran a hand through his light-brown hair. He was tall, slender, and handsome – along with being conniving, cunning, and unspeakably quick-witted.

"That's right," his friend's German accent was thick, like the muscles that bound his arms. The slender mans companion was well muscled and slightly broader in the shoulder than he was, and he was incredibly glad to still call this man his friend. "This is the place they agreed to meet us."

The man with the light-brown hair frowned up at the flickering, broken neon sign that hung above the establishments' old doorframe. It wasn't the most inviting of bars to be looking at, and as he followed his companion inside, he felt his stomach drop; this was the _last_ sort of place he wanted to be in.

"It's not exactly what I was expecting," he muttered as he stood in the doorframe beside his friend, and he coughed into his hand. "Diedrich, what've you gotten us into?"

His German friend, Diedrich, chuckled softly, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Vinnie – don't get your bloomers in a twist."

Vincent Phantomhive rolled his eyes at the comment, and duly ignored it before casting his eyes around the small, underground bar. The air was stale with the stagnant stench of old beer and cigarette smoke; the room had a low ceiling and old pool and poker tables in questionable condition were peppered across the tacky lino floor. The bar was, for the most part, full of middle aged men in varying outfits – some looked to be dressed in the leathers of bikers, others looked more like the mafia type, leaning against the bar with pool cues in hand or hunched over at the poker tables, fat, lit cigars chomped between gold capped teeth.

Diedrich stepped down into the bar, and Vincent knew he had no option but to follow. He had to duck and swerve around the occasional hooker or skinny waitress to keep up with his burlier friend, who had no trouble getting the girls to simply step aside. But Vincent, handsome as he was, had never really been any good with strange women. He just didn't quite have the tact for their forward ways. Diedrich, the bastard, had even once called him 'awkward' to a potential date's face back in college – and had received a black eye for it.

Diedrich nudged him in the ribs with an elbow, a playful blow that was cushioned only by Vincent's long, knee-length dark trenchcoat. "I'm telling you, this is going to go exactly as planned. We're here for a good reason."

Vincent sighed as he followed Diedrich as the German swerved past a rough looking group of individuals who eyed them suspiciously. "It had better be _very_ good. This is beginning to feel too much like the old days."

His German companion shrugged, winding his way around the tables and ducking under raised pool cue-ends and stepping gingerly over the occasional broken chair that littered the floor, and Vincent really had no choice but to follow.

"Well," Diedrich said quietly, and Vincent saw him eyeing up the busty blonde dancer up on the small stage by the bar, swinging and swaying to the soft old jazz music that was beating out of the crappy speakers at the foot of the stage. "Admittedly it's not going to be a full house; neither Angeline nor Mister Undertaker will be joining us tonight."

"My sister-in-law," Vincent smiled half-heartedly, seeing for a moment the red of her vibrant, beautiful hair dance across his eyes, but he squashed the image as the thought of his poor wife's current condition entered his mind. He wondered briefly where Angeline Dalles had wound up. "And my dear friend the Undertaker. Pity."

"Yeah."

Diedrich side-stepped a long glance from the beefy, moustached bartender behind the bar as he smoothly glided up to the base of the stage, where the scantily clad blonde dancer sidled up to him, changing her dance to reach down inconspicuously to accept the handful of bills that Diedrich palmed into her hand. She smiled coyly down at him, making a show of then putting each note down her cleavage, and Vincent, who had hung back from the promiscuous display, saw that it was to distract any other onlooker – she was giving Diedrich little glances and wiggling her fake, drawn-on eyebrows towards a darker corner of the club, where the softly glowing lamps that kept the bar low-lit didn't quite reach. Diedrich nodded ever so slightly, took the girls hand and gave it an appreciative kiss, before backing away from the stage and back to Vincent.

"Seems like Ange went into public health care like she always wanted," Diedrich commented as he breezed passed Vincent as if the licentious display back at the stage hadn't just taken place. "And no one's seen your moronic mortician for years. Not after he retired from business."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, knowing fully well exactly why the Undertaker, a man that Vincent would entrust everything to, had disappeared from the Underworld scene, but he wasn't about to say so. There were still secrets they had sworn too, even if they had gone their separate ways six months after Ciel had supposedly died. Following Diedrich, they came to a table half-hidden in shadow in the corner of the club – beyond the club was a pair of swinging saloon-like doors. At the table, an incredibly old, incredibly drawn-faced man who stared at them as they approached through thick rimmed glasses.

"We're here under the name of the Watchdog," said Diedrich, and the tall, thin man waved them through without so much as making eye contact, but Vincent felt like he was watching them the entire they moved passed him and through the doors. He shook his head and sighed.

"It's been years since anyone's called me that, old friend," he said as Diedrich led him into the gloom of the dimly lit room beyond, which was even more poorly lit than the club. "Why on earth did you book it under _that_ name?"

"Coz without it," Diedrich smirked as they approached a large table that was lit by a set of low burning candles where about half a dozen men were already silently seated, "None of these lovely gentlemen would have shown up."

Vincent was stunned as he cast his eyes over the men who had been summoned by his German friend – he recognized just about every single one of them; they were all familiar associates of his from back in the day when he had prowled the streets of London's Underworld in the name of Queen Elizabeth the Second. There was Mister Chlaus – a business partner of his from Germany, and a man who knew how to get entire empires to bend to their knee for him. There was Azzuro Vanel; who had blood relations in assorted Italian mafia gangs around the world, and had pulled many strings for information for Vincent in several different cases that he'd undertaken. There was a close associate of his who heard all kinds of interesting rumours and whispers from the depths of his opium dens and from his drug dealing clientele – a mysterious man from the east seas of China known only as Lau, today unaccompanied by his busty 'younger sister' the mute Chinese girl Ran Mao.

Lastly, there were two man who Vincent could not make out in the dim light – they sat cloaked in shadow just beyond the reach of the candle's glow.

"Gentlemen," Diedrich addressed them all, and they all stood in greeting as Diedrich offered Vincent the chair at the head of the large mahogany table. "Thank you all for coming here tonight. Where's out lady of Winchester?"

"_I'm afraid_," one of the men shrouded by the gloom at the opposite end of the table said, "That Miss Matilda Simmons will _not_ be joining us. She was incarcerated by the Yard five months ago."

Diedrich tsked to himself as he pulled out a packet of chewing gum from his pocket and sliding a stick of the mint gum between his teeth before pulling out a chair and sitting down, nodding at Vincent. "Well? Don't stand there like a stuffed walrus, Vinnie. Sit."

Vincent took his seat at the head of the table cautiously, trying to discern the expression on each of the faces of the gathered men. They were all watching him back with the same cool, calm gazes.

"Well then," Mister Chlaus cleared his throat, and Vincent took it as a sign of the commencement of the gathering. "I believe we all know why we're here. Let's get down to busine-"

"Not me," Vincent piped up quickly. "It's been a long time since I've seen you all and while yes it's nice to do so again, I think I've been left out on the reason why I've been dragged away from my ill wife's bedside overseas back to a place I don't like full of people who don't like me."

"That's not true," Chlaus looked a little appalled. "You still have many friends here in England, my boy. You're welcome in any home – "

"I'm welcomed _anywhere_ because of _pity_," Vincent spat. "Nobody respects me because I'm the one who _gave it all up_. I'm the one who lost my son. 'How could such a thing happen to the Queen's guard dog', they say. '_Poor thing_', they whisper in the streets when my wife would have to walk past – 'they say her only child's dead – gone. Say it broke her husbands will to hold his head up in public anymore'. That's what they say, and it's pity, Chlaus. It's not because they like me."

"You were once feared and reviled in some places," one of the men in the shadows said, the same man who had spoken before, his accomplice remaining silent. "And in others you were a loved and celebrated hero. We know. We've seen your fall from grace, Phantomhive. So suck up your teary-eyed story and listen to what we have to say before we need sick bags."

Vincent shot a glare in the man's direction, which he was sure the man got, but he couldn't see the reaction. But he took a deep breath and buttoned up, and Lau took his turn to speak once the tension had eased across the table a little.

"Why," Lau smiled, arms folded beneath the sleeves of his draping kimono, relaxed back into his chair. "We're here for you, my dear Earl."

Vincent stared at him, glad for someone else to look at.

"What?"

There was a very, very short silence, but it carried tremendous weight as the gathered men appeared to struggle with who should be the next one to speak. Finally, the Italian mobster spoke up.

"We…have a lead." Vanel said softly, his left eyebrow pierced with a set of two studs and a large scar slashed between his brows. "On your sons whereabouts."

Vincent froze, and he felt the colour drain from his already pale face. He could have sworn that he heard his heart stop. Three years. Three and a half long years of tears and heartbreak. The years of believing – no, not _wanting_ to believe, that his only son was dead. After six months, he'd exhausted every possibility after the body had not been returned to him and his distraught wife. They had never been able to bury their son; they had buried a lock of his hair and a single white rose in a small wooden box. Then, Vincent had relinquished his standing as the Queen's Watchdog and had retired from society with his beloved, heartbroken Rachel to mourn his lost child. His lost heir. His _son._

He had never quite come to terms with it, but had somehow managed to finally accept that his son Ciel was never going to return to them. Now, hearing these men with whom he had once entrusted his life to saying that there was evidence or even the slightest chance that Ciel was alive, he felt a tsunami of emotions crash and wash over him. This…couldn't possibly be real.

"W-why…" he whispered, knowing all eyes in the room were on him. "Why would you…_do this_? Give me false hope…my son…my son is _dead_." He stood abruptly, scraping his chair back harshly and feeling anger welling up inside him quickly. "Don't you _dare_ try and disgrace him any more."

He whirled on his heel to leave, only to have Diedrich launch to his feet as well and catch him by the sleeve, tugging him back.

"Wait, Vincent!"

"Wait for _what_?" Vincent snapped, turning on his friend with ferocity in his eyes. "For them to _insult_ my ruined family some more?! You…you _lured_ me down here! How the _hell dare you_?!"

Vincent wrenched his arm away and made brief strides back towards the door when Lau suddenly spoke up from the table.

"I've seen him."

Vincent Phantomhive stopped dead in his tracks. He knew Lau was not always the most trustworthy of people, but Vincent also knew that when Lau got his head out of the clouds, he would never lie. He turned back to face the table of gentlemen slowly.

"You've…seen my son? Alive?" he asked softly, and Lau nodded, that same smile playing over his Asiatic features.

"Very much alive, sir."

"Safe?" so many questions buzzed around Vincent's confused and distraught mind – this one was a tiny grasp at hope.

"…in good hands," Lau took a moment to respond, but his smile didn't waver and his words sounded sincere. Diedrich reached out and gingerly took Vincent by the arm.

"Hear them out, okay?"

Slowly, Vincent returned to the table, and as Diedrich sat he watched his friend carefully – Vincent could feel his German friend's eyes watching him. "Go on." He said wearily, and Lau shrugged.

"It's only been the once. But I'm giving refuge to some of his protectors. There's about three of them at one of my opium dens, and I wouldn't be surprised if he and one of the others were on their way there right now."

"How many of these… 'protectors' does he have?" Vincent felt a rush of relief – if what Lau was saying was true, and Ciel was in good hands, then it wouldn't be too hard to get his son back. Rachel would be so happy – but…but what if they were more captors than protectors? "C-can they be trusted?"

"They have their conditions, mostly because they remain weary of anyone outside their little group," Lau replied, looking like he was having the time of his life being the centre of attention with everyone watching him intently. "I can only assume it's because of the things they themselves have been through to protect your son. There's…let's see…one, two, three, four…about five or so in total. Six, if you count the rumour that your sister in law is in on his protection as well."

Everyone's eyes widened. Everyone knew about Lady Red, and how she had thrown herself into her studies of medicine from a young age; Vincent had always been so proud of her, and even prouder when she had turned out to have quite the edge to her personality too. If Ciel was safe with anyone, it was her. She would guard him with her life; Vincent had seen it happen before once. A burglary gone wrong, and the burglar had attempted to kidnap Ciel from his cot – Angeline, who had been babysitting for Rachel and Vincent that night, had almost quite literally torn the man apart. There wasn't much left of him but a blubbering mess screaming about a madwoman with knives for claws. She'd had to paint her nails red for several weeks after that because the blood wouldn't wash out from beneath them.

"A-Angeline's been with my son?!" Vincent felt his heart leap into his chest. He'd always known how much Angeline had loved her nephew, because she'd been unable to have children of her own. "Oh thank God. But why hasn't she tried to contact us about it?"

"It's only a rumour, Vincent," Diedrich said. "Hold your horses – we don't even know if Angeline is working in the public health care division."

Vincent sighed and nodded – he knew this was an incredibly slim chance that he'd ever actually see his son alive ever again, but he'd finally been presented with something better than hammering on doors and demanding answers that never came. He had to play his cards carefully from here on in; these men would be looking at him as a leader once more if he were to take this opportunity.

"So. Uh, why call them his protectors?" he asked, clearing his throat, and Azzuro shrugged and rolled a lit cigarette between thumb and forefinger before taking a long drag on it.

"Coz they're on the run."

"From what?" Vincent's eyes widened.

"Well, from the Dispatch for starters," Chlaus said, getting a round of nods from around the table, before the man in shadow spoke up again.

"And the Hospital. Your suspicions were right, Watchdog. They were experimenting. Underlying reasons have yet to be – "

"I'm sorry, just who are you?" Vincent cut him off, having had enough of the mans enigmatic air, but he had a feeling wasn't going to like the answer. "And why hide? We're all Aristocrats of Evil here, aren't we?"

The man cleared his throat. "Actually, no." He then nodded to his offsider, and they both leant forward into the glow of the candlelight. "_You_ might be Aristocrats of the Underworld, but _we're_ from Scotland Yard."

"_Arthur Randall_," Vincent spat in disgust. "I should have known you would try to corner us here. How dare you, _you_ –"

"Eeeasy, puppy," Diedrich reached over and put a hand on Vincent's arm, keeping his voice low. "I asked them here. Detective Randall and his associate Abberline were assigned to the case of the missing children three and a half years ago, remember? Their case went just as cold as our leads once the disappearances stopped."

"I remember," Vincent narrowed his eyes, glowering at Randall, and the aging man across the table from him returned the glare. "What were you thinking?"

"That they could be quite some help, actually," Diedrich countered as Vincent gave Randall's offsider a once-over look. The younger man, Abberline, was about his height and a little broader in the shoulders than him, but he appeared naïve, and quite nervous to be here, among men who ruled London's Underworld. He would look away whenever Vincent tried to make eye contact – that immediately told Vincent that this kid was nothing more than terrified.

Vincent snorted.

"These two? Yeah right – what help could they be? They couldn't find twelve missing children, let alone my son. What makes you think they can do any better this time round after their case files have been gathering dust for three years?" he asked, completely ignoring the glare from Randall, and Chlaus cleared his throat.

"Think of us as an undercover unit," he said. "While the Hospital and the Dispatch are desperately chasing their own tails to get their hands on Ciel, we can move without being noticed or cared about. We just have to keep your return to the United Kingdom as quiet as possible, and no one will suspect Scotland Yard working with the Queen's Guard dog himself."

Vincent raised an eyebrow; but he had to admit, Chlaus had a point. And he had a deep respect for the man, and admired him greatly; for he had not only been a loyal and faithful ally, but he had been a true friend to the Phantomhive family. Ciel had even looked up to Chlaus as an uncle, and had been too young to think otherwise of the German man who'd take long vacations overseas, only to bring back many treats of all shapes and sizes to spoil him with – the German man who never argued with his father, the man who would sit and spend hours chatting away with Ciel's mother about anything and everything. Vincent wondered briefly if Chlaus had any family of his own left; he knew that Chlaus and Diedrich were option travelling and business partners when it came to movements in the crime industry in Germany, but he knew nothing more of Chlaus' personal life. He was pulled from his reverie as Lau chuckled softly at nothing at all.

"So? What do you think, my Earl?"

Vincent took a deep breath and looked around at the assembled men.

"Well…where would we start?" he asked slowly, and Randall gave Abberline a small nod, and the younger detective produced a set of thick manila folders, each full of reports, witness statements, photographs, court documents and testimonies – some of which spilled out across the table as Abberline set them down.

One photo skidded all the way across the table to Vincent, who scooped it up; it was a family photograph oh his beloved Rachel and Ciel, and himself. His heart twisted in a painful ache.

"We start here," said Randall sternly. "I have full access to all the Yard's findings on the original case which, with a fresh perspective, may yield something that we previously overlooked."

"Also," Azzuro pulled out a stash of folded papers covered in scrappy handwriting from his pocket and slapped them down as well. "I had my boys do a little askin' around, yeah? Made some calls to the sorts o' people who hear stuff, just don't say so. Some of the stuff in there you may find real interestin'."

"The off-the-record-witness accounts," Vincent nodded. "Okay, and?"

"And," Diedrich was the last to produce something; an advertisement poster. "Look who's coming back to town."

Vincent took the paper and looked it over – immediately he recognized the young face of the man in the middle of the advertisement. The young man's right arm gave it away – instead of a flesh and blood hand protruding from his flared and ruffled white sleeve, a delicately carved prosthetic hand made to look like a skeletal bone hand was grandly gesturing to the over head sign:

_**.:NOAH'S ARC CONVENTION TROUPE!:.**_

_**~Welcomes you to this years Historical Steampunk Convention!~**_

"The Arc," Vincent breathed. "I can't believe they're back." He glanced over the dates and place where the convention would be situated – it was out in Manchester. A good three or so hours away from London.

"Maybe they've had a change in management," Chlaus said softly. "Doesn't the kid look happier than when you last dealt with him?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes. The ringleader of the elaborate brigade was barely twenty-five, a young man known only by his stage name, Joker. The Troupe went from city to city, overseas, anywhere – performing like a circus, but with massive Hucksters rooms and big competitions. They'd become quite popular with the public; anything historical or of the Steampunk era, they could buy at this convention.

"Hmm," he murmured. "Maybe not. Looks can be deceiving." He looked at Diedrich. "Where'd you get this?"

Diedrich shrugged as he popped another stick of chewing gum in his mouth.

"It was posted up in the street. Their flyers are going up all over the city. The convention's in two weeks."

Vincent sighed. "Well, they've got nothing to do with us, so we stick with what we have."

"Are you sure?" Diedrich said suddenly. "I wouldn't have brought it to you unless I figured it was important. Don't you wanna look into this?"

"Not really," Vincent said, thinking back over his last, rather unpleasant encounter, with the travelling circus-like troupe. "I'd rather forget all about this lot. There's nothing we can do to stop them or prove they're doing anything wrong, so we shouldn't waste any time when we've got a much clearer goal – finding my son and the rest of the missing children from three years ago."

But Diedrich wouldn't let the point go.

"Are you positive?" he pressed. "Don't you think it's not suspicious? You know, word gets out that your son, with the mysterious air surrounding his 'death' and all, suddenly turns up alive, and now Joker's showing up with his band of merry men again?"

"Ciel never had anything to do with the – " Vincent paused. "Wait, no – we were _at_ the convention that year, when he'd had an asthma attack – that was when we'd had to take him to the hospital, where Ange recommended us off to the _Hospital_ hospital. But this troupe never had anything to do with my son."

Diedrich looked like he wanted to pursue the matter further, but Vincent gave him a hard look, and he finally dropped it. With a sigh, Vincent turned back to the rest.

"Right. We keep this convention troupe on our radar, but unless we hear anything about suspicious activity, we spend no energy investigating. We came here find ways of overturning the Hospital, and that's what we're going to do." He said, and he received a round of nods and murmurs of agreement all around. "Now. Get reading."

**-:-**

"He took the bait."

There were two young man with mops of dark hair sitting in a car a little way down the street from the China man's opium den. One had a set of binoculars pressed to his eyes, the other, who was in the drivers seat, had his hands on the wheel.

"What's he doing?"

"Following C." the first replied, before handing over the binoculars. The second young man peered into them, and watched the thirteen year old boy stumble from the front door of the opium den and out into the street, quickly dashing across the road to the curb where their third associate had been standing mere moments ago.

"This is too easy."

"He's unguarded," the first man said, holding out his hand for his partner to return the binoculars. "We won't get another chance like this. Go."

"Thompson," the driver breathed as the boy disappeared around the corner after their brother, and Thompson glanced in his direction.

"What?"

"I know these are orders from the top, but he's a kid."

"Timber, we can't afford mistakes," Thompson urged. "We have to make our move and go now. Otherwise we'll lose his trail and Canterbury'll get _really_ pissed."

"But – "

"This ain't no time to get sentimental or emotional or shit! We have a job to do; we're going to do it! Now friggin' _drive_!" Thompson hissed, and his twin brother, Timber, nodded with a sigh. He started the engine, glancing in the rear view mirror as he pulled into the road slowly – in the back seat, he could see a silver suitcase. He shoved down any other interfering emotion as he imagined being the one to take the single disposable handgun in that case, being the one to have to stare into the kids terrified eyes as his brother's held the boy down.

He imagined pulling the trigger, the feel of the tension, then the release with the release of his drawn breath.

Just like he'd been told to do – it didn't matter to Doctor Faustus anymore whether the subject was alive or dead. Dr Annafellows had proven that even a brain-dead patient could prove as ample research; a dead specimen would provide an even bigger opportunity to explore the brain.

So if they couldn't bring the kid back alive, they were under orders to shoot him.

Right in the heart.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

DUN DUUUUUUUN.

Holy _shit_ Mercy Antebellum, did you just introduce **TWELVE** freaking characters in **ONE** freaking chapter? You're nuts. Can you lot believe this girl? SHE'S MAD. MAD, I TELL YA. She just threw a MASSIVE spanner in the works of this story – are you gonna LET HER? Review and tell her _exactly_ what you think of her and her terrible plot-twisty ways! RIP INTO HER. HAVE NO MERCY.

…wait.

Something about that doesn't make sense…

_Mercy_

_PS – derp derp I got Matilda Simmons in! :D who remembers this lovely little girl who Sebastian bangs in a manger? YEAH THAT ONE. Hurhurhur she's here only in name, I don't think I've quite got a part for her, so she probably won't appear again. BUT HEY. THERE SHE WAS. and I got the Demon Triplets from season 2 in. hahahahaha I love those guys coz they say NOTHING. Unless alois tells them to. SHUTTUP._

_PPS – only the first HALF of this chapter was supposed to be about Vincent meeting that lot in a smelly old club. The rest was supposed to be CIEL CIEL CIEL SEBASTIAN CIEL CIEL CIEL all the way. Unfortunately, I looked at how many pages I'd written and I was like, "whoops! That's enough, folks!" ahahaha – _

_CATCH YOU IN THE NEXT ONE! REVIEW PLEASE. I NEED LOVE AND SUSTAINANCE._ _*dies*_

**(****introduced characters in this chapter** ((count them!)): Vincent, Diedrich, Chlaus, Azzuro, Randall, Abberline, Rachel, Matilda, Joker, Thompson, Timber, and Canterbury**)**


	21. Chapter Twenty

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

*GAAAAASP* I AM ALIVE.

And I'm really really sorry for making you all wait. It was wrong of me I know and I swear not to do it again.

Well, not anytime soon anyway.

Not that you probably care nor want to hear about my life, but in the last three or so weeks I've been having my best friend stay with me whilst she tries to find a house to rent and a solid paying job. This often means spending waaay too much time being "social" (i.e: walking aimlessly around town) and staying up to ridiculous hours of the night waiting for her to come home from wherever the hell she buggers off to with her boyfriend.

Basically she's been occupying a lot of the time I usually have to write, along with having to look for another job myself, filling in extra hours at my current job whilst my boss flies overseas, and rewatching an old anime series favourite of mine in the time I have free but am so exhausted I can't be bothered to do anything else but be a couch potato.

So anyway, here is chapter twenty, which I've been wanting to get written for the last three weeks at least. I hope there's still some of you out there who will read this tripe.

_- Mercy_

…

_go see banana fish._

* * *

**Chapter Twenty:** In Which Ciel Stumbles Into Trouble. Again.

**-:-**

His breath was beginning to come in short gasps, clouds of dragons breath spiralling away from his panting lips as he feverishly jogged through the winding maze of alleyways. The cobbles beneath his sneakered feet were cold and unforgiving, and sharp stabbing pains of cold air shot through his lungs every time he drew in breath.

Ciel Phantomhive was clinging desperately to the memory of seeing his father standing in the street across from his window.

It had been no easy task to slip out passed Sebastian – the floorboards had creaked and groaned with his albeit meagre weight putting pressure on them, and there had been a terribly long, drawn out minute of held breath after one particularly loud creak where Ciel was sure Sebastian would have woken. But the doctor had remained asleep, and although he had rolled over and murmured something in his slumber, he did not wake. Ciel had pulled a grey hoodie over his head before slipping out, thinking to wrap up warmly against the cold night air.

And now, he was out in the dead of night, feeling his heart pounding within in his chest as his lungs stretched and complained with every breath he sucked in. He was slowly becoming aware of one certainty as he padded along the sidewalk of the narrow, run down street.

He was hopelessly lost.

He hadn't dared call out – he didn't want anyone to hear him and yell out a window at him or something. He had no clue where he was or how to get back to the opium den's townhouse, meaning that he'd probably have to find a map or some such along the way. But right now, Ciel's top priority was finding his father. He rounded another countless brick buildings corner and into another alley, barely registering the figure standing directly in front of him, and Ciel stumbled into the taller person.

"Oof!" Ciel staggered backwards, regaining his balance before he looked up at the man he'd accidentally run into. "Oh, uh…sorry…"

He was stopped short when he registered who's back he'd just stepped away from – the man had dark brown hair that fell down to the base of his neck, and as he turned, Ciel barely dared to breath.

"Hello Subject Thirteen."

It wasn't his father – that much Ciel knew immediately. When the words finally settled into his mind, he also realized that he was in danger. He didn't recognize the face of the young man he'd been pursuing right away; it took him a moment and even then he couldn't grasp for the name of the boy who could only have been about six years older than himself.

Ciel's body took action before his mind caught on – he whirled and tried to run, knowing one thing: he had to get away. The young man had called him "Subject Thirteen", meaning that he had to be from the Hospital. Ciel realized, only moments too late, that he'd run straight into a trap. He felt a cold hand catch onto his arm and yank him back, and Ciel cried out in surprise as he was tugged back and off his feet. He was airborne for a second, before the wind was knocked from his lungs as he was thrown against the brick wall.

With a gasp, he collapsed to the pavement, coughing and trying to desperately suck in air. He managed to glance up at his attacker – in the street beyond him, there was a street lamp that was flickering its fluorescent light as if tremouring, but the erratic light was enough to shed light on the colour of his attackers hair – it wasn't dark brown, as Ciel had first thought, but more of a purple hue. Hair dye? Ciel didn't have time to ask, he just tried to scramble up and away from his attacker.

He got less than five feet before his attacker had drawn level with him, the older boys longer legs clearing the space much faster than Ciel could, and Ciel felt his attacker grab him by the hood of his jacket, and Ciel was jerked back once again, this time, more violently by the neck as his attacker skidded to a stop and pulled Ciel back with him.

Landing with a thud on his side, Ciel felt pain spiral through his ribs, and his arm twisted awkwardly beneath him – he was barely able to register that the pain probably wasn't so bad that his arm was broken; but probably sprained. He couldn't stop a small moan from escaping his lips, and as he tried to push himself up with his good arm, he saw two pairs of legs run into the mouth of the alleyway; both wore the same black jeans and black boots as his attacker – Ciel glanced upwards only to have his fears confirmed. The two new comers were almost identical to his attacker; only the way their fringes parted showed how they were different from each other.

These three were, in his former life, a set of demon triplets, known as Thompson, Timber and Canterbury, and were employed servants of the Trancy Household.

If Ciel had had more time to consider the situation, he wouldn't have been so surprised that these three were associated with the Hospital; Sebastian had mentioned Claude Faustus before, and how he was another Keeper at the Hospital. So maybe Ciel should have expected something like this. Maybe he should have realized that these would have been the most likely ones the Hospital would have sent to track him down and take him back. These three were dangerous – deadly.

And the one thought that stuck in Ciel's mind was how stupid he was to have fallen straight into their trap.

He was going to be taken away.

Away from Sebastian.

The three of them were surrounding him now, cutting off any possible escape route. They towered over Ciel, and one, he couldn't tell which one it was, had a gun in his hand. A simple, silver handgun with a silencer attached to its barrel. Ciel flinched at the sight of it, as if someone had pressed a cold ice pack to the back of his neck. Then, one of them stepped back, opening an escape route.

"You have two choices, Subject Thirteen," his first assailant said, gesturing at the now open path of escape. "Run, and die. Or come quietly."

Ciel's eyes darted back at forth from the escape route to the faces of his attackers to the gun in the middle one's hand. The carrier of the gun had an almost pitying expression on his face; but Ciel barely had any time to consider it – his mind was desperately screaming at him to lurch forward, make a dash for the escape. To run, as far as and as fast as he possibly could, back to Sebastian and the others. They would protect him. He wished with every fibre of his being that they were here now. But no matter how much his mind begged from him to try and run, his body was frozen to the spot, trembling in fear.

The triplets exchanged glances, before his first attacked crouched down, reaching behind him and pulling out a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket. He knelt down in front of Ciel, and leant forward slowly.

"Easy does it."

The triplet with the gun raised the gun to aim it at Ciel; a warning. But as Ciel glanced past the one reaching for him with the handcuffs, he could see that the young man holding the gun had a slight tremour in his hand, as if he were scared of having to use the weapon. It was the slight shake of his hand that kept Ciel mesmerized and before he could object, his first assailant had grabbed his wrist and slapped the handcuff around it.

"Good. Get up." The first triplet stood up suddenly, yanking Ciel up with him, and Ciel yelped as he was suddenly hoisting to his feet. There was a sudden, high-pitched whistle that seared through the night air, and the silence around them was broken as something – no, _someone _– came flying down at them from the roof of the building across the road from the alley, and collided with the third triplet who had stepped aside for Ciel. The triplets yelled and burst into action – the second one, the one carrying the gun, accidentally misfired the gun and a suppressed shot was fired off, the bullet flying wide of all of them and ricocheting of the brick wall of one of the buildings on either side of them, chips of brick spraying and one fleck flashed by Ciel's cheek, and he felt the sharp, hot pain of the brick chip scratching his flesh. He yelped as it burned, and he tugged away from the first triplet, managing to yank his handcuffed hand back as the triplet were more preoccupied with the new attacker.

The lithe figure ducked and whirled and spun in an eccentric dance around the triplets, blocking and dodging any of their blows before retaliating with her own – Ciel caught sight of her clearly definable female figure, and it took him a moment to register that the long pole with the large, spherical shapes on either end that she carried and whirled as a sort of quarterstaff was actually a weapon of a kind. And the spheres on either end were actually some sort of thick, paper-covered lamp with intricate flower designs. Asian style lamps.

"Ran Mao…?" Ciel barely dared to breathe as he saw Lau's 'younger sister' duck and dance around Thompson, Timber and Canterbury, wielding her quarterstaff and using it to block their attacks or to make swipes at them, her long, thin black plaits of hair flying around her gracefully as she moved like a choreographed dancer among the triplets.

She made a quick flip over the head of one of the triplets, placing herself between Ciel and the triplets, and she scuttled backwards quickly, grabbing Ciel's hand as she fended off the three assailants with her quarterstaff in her other hand.

"Run," she murmured only barely loud enough for Ciel to hear, before giving him a quick shove towards the darker depths of the alley. Ciel paused for only a second, not even thinking about what he'd find at the other end, and then he burst into a shake run as the triplets yelled and cursed in frustration behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, just able to see the silhouettes of Ran Mao and the triplets once again fighting, the small, well endowed Chinese girl quite easily keeping the three taller triplets occupied whilst Ciel made his escape.

His legs were shaking almost uncontrollably, making his running awkward and he ended up stumbling most of the way down to the very end of the alley; when he came to the end, a tall brick wall reared its head high above him, blocking his way through. Almost giving up hope, Ciel groaned and slumped against the wall, only to see that the building on his left had come to an end about half a metre before the brick wall that marked the end of the alley, creating a small gap between the buildings. Through the gap, he could see the glow of another street light at the other end. Hope lifted his heart and his tired body lurched forward, pressing himself through the gap and shuffling forward as quickly as he could. The space was a bit smaller than he'd first thought, and his back and stomach scraped a little on the walls on either side of him, but there was just enough room for him to squeeze through, sidling sideways like a crab.

Once he emerged at the other end, he was greeted by yet another alley way, this one far less inviting than any of the others he'd seen. It was filled with garbage; large skips and trash cans littered the cobbles, along with big black rubbish bags piled around them – some of the bags had ripped and torn, spilling their contents over the street, and Ciel had to pick his way gingerly through the refuse. He could see that the end of the alleyway opened out into another proper street, and heaving a deep breath into his aching lungs, he made his way towards it.

As he set his foot down on a large paper bag which he thought was empty, a large cat yowled and shot out from beneath his foot, causing Ciel to yelp in surprise as the feline darted away, and he stumbled back, trying to regain his balance. He fell against the wall of one of the buildings, only to have the wall – no, it was a _door_ – fall open and he tumbled inside, crying out as he fell back into the blackness.

The door swung shut behind him, and Ciel remained completely silent as he pushed himself up from the floor on his good hand – his other arm ached and complained whenever he put pressure on it, and he cradled it to his chest. Ears pricked and eyes blindly scanning the room, Ciel's senses were on hyper alert. He wondered if there was anyone in here. If someone had heard him. But he couldn't hear a thing, and slowly, his eyes became more adjust to his surroundings. It looked for all the world like he was in some sort of a dress making shop. It was almost old fashioned in it's appearance, with lavishly designed clothes slowly becoming visibly, all hung and set on dress-makers dummies and mannequins.

He had stumbled in through the back door into a clothing shop of some kind that probably opened out onto a proper street. One that might help him find his way back to the town house. Ciel felt a tad guilty for leaving Ran Mao behind to deal with the triplets by herself, but he assumed, from what he had seen of her incredible fighting ability, that she would be able to hold her own against them – maybe even defeat them and make a getaway herself. Taking a long, slow deep breath to calm himself and not allow his hammering heart and aching lungs to aggravate his asthma, Ciel slowly stood and brushed himself off. The floor was dusty, as if the shop didn't often see customers. But as he slowly made his way through the silent dance floor of exquisitely dressed mannequins, he could see that each and every outfit was immaculately clean of any trace of dust or blemish. All of these clothes were of beauty and grace; nothing like the clothes he saw in today's society. These all looked like they belonged in the time in which he'd thought he'd once lived in, when ladies wore corsets and elegant gowns adorned with lace and ribbon finishes, when men looked their finest in dashing suits and top hats, with ties or all kinds holding up their collared white shirts.

It was like a step back in time, and Ciel paused among them all, taking them in as his eyes became more adjusted to the dim light that poured in through the front window of the shop. He felt…strange. At home, almost. Nostalgic. He reached out tentatively to one of the mannequins that was dressed in a beautiful red ball gown with a large bell skirt and a bodice that was decorated with beautiful flower embroidery and lace. The fabric was soft under his fingertips, and he gingerly ran his hand up the satin sleeve of the gown, marvelling at the impeccable stitch work. He looked around the rest of the shop – there were large mahogany cabinets lining the walls, full of fine china on display or vases of flowers. Where there weren't cabinets taking up wall space, there were framed photographs hanging; of people dressed in the beautiful gowns and suits that Ciel could see on display.

Ciel stepped carefully around each of the dress makers dummies until he came upon a large, dark-wood desk that had a small bell and a telephone sitting on it, along with a pile of white pieces of paper – some of them had sketched dress designs on them, others had sketches of the human body; analyzations of both the male and female anatomy.

He dared not touch anything, and instead moved to the front door of the shop. He grasped the brass handle and twisted – only to find the door handle wouldn't budge. The door was either locked or jammed. Ciel was about to give up with a sigh when he felt a chill run down his spine, but before he could turn around, a large hand with long, bony fingers was clapped around his mouth, muffling his shout of surprise.

"Well, well," the soft voice behind him mused quietly, chuckling. "Seems we've got an after-hours guest. A little late night trespasser. What should we do with him, ladies and gentlemen?"

Ciel squirmed in the man's grip, unable to look up into the face of his assailant, the man's hand and sleeve covering both of Ciel's ears, muffling his voice and making him unrecognisable to Ciel. There was another soft laugh, and Ciel was suddenly dragged away from the door by his tall aggressor.

"My, my – I should hope that you know what we do to little thieves like yourself," the man said, and Ciel suddenly realized who it was. It was the scent of the mans sleeve that tipped him off; that and the slightly sing-song tone to his voice. The way the man talked to himself. He knew who he was, he just couldn't remember the name… and he just had to get his assailant to recognize him now.

Ciel wriggled and twisted in the mans arms as best he could, desperately trying to throw his meagre weight around to through his aggressor off balance, only for the man to grab Ciel's hand, which was still clasped in a handcuff.

"Ah, seems to me you've already made one escape tonight. Well you're not going to get away again, let me tell you." The man said as he moved Ciel over to where there was a silver railing set into the wall. He clapped the other handcuff over the rail before letting Ciel go, immediately whirling away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go ready your –"

"W-wait!" Ciel blabbered now that his mouth was uncovered. "I know who you are! I-I need your help!"

The dark clothed figure paused, but didn't turn. Ciel's mind was in a whir trying to remember that one name…

"I doubt that, my little thief. No one knows me."

"I do!" Ciel said desperately. "Please, I just…"

"I'm going to call the police. They'll punish right and good for breaking into a poor old dress makers shop in the middle of the night for no good reason. What were you after, lad? Money? Dresses? Ha – _heheheheh_, I doubt that."

Ciel watched, distressed, as the man stepped over to the large desk at the front of the shop and reached for the phone. He could hear the buttons being dialled as he watched the man's long, slender finger punch in the digits. It was those _hands_ of his…there was something wrong about them. Something not right. They were missing something.

Scars. They weren't scarred the way they should be.

"U-Undertaker!" Ciel finally stuttered, and the man holding the phone froze. After a moment of silence, he put the phone back down and made his way back over to Ciel, his face hidden by shadow.

The man flicked on a light switch on the wall, and the overhead lights lit up the back area of the shop, and Ciel scrunched his eyes shut against the sudden, invading light. But when he could open them again, blinking to adjust his eyes, he looked up to see the face of none other than the moronic mortician who had always in the time Ciel had known him been called the Undertaker.

"It's been a long, long time since anybody's called me that." The tall, silver haired, green-eyed Undertaker said, a small, curious smile on his face.

**-:-**

"He _what_?!" Ciel exclaimed, almost spilling his cup of tea.

The Undertaker nodded, adding another cube of sugar to his own cup. They were sitting in the upstairs living quarters of the dress makers shop; the Undertakers shop. Once Ciel had explained to him that he was the missing Phantomhive child, that his father was Vincent Phantomhive, the Undertaker had come to recognize him. Apparently, he and Ciel's father had been very close business partners many times when Vincent had been the Queen's Watchdog, and Vincent had once introduced Ciel to the Undertaker – either Ciel had been too young to remember, or those memories had been suppressed. Now, Ciel was eagerly listening to everything the cooky old mortician had to say about Vincent Phantomhive.

"That's right. He asked me to go out of the whole death business. Begged me, time and again. Tried to buy me out of it, too." The Undertaker said. "After everything we'd tried to find you, prove that you were still alive, when he finally gave in, he asked of me that I'd retire too."

"But why?" Ciel breathed, and the silver haired man shrugged, crossly his long legs over each other.

"He didn't want nothing more to do with bein' the Watchdog. That meant he cut himself off from most of his other associates that he'd often use as sources of intel or assistance in many of the cases he was assigned. As one of his…closer companions, I s'pose you could say, he asked this of me as a favour – he didn't want to cut ties with me for some reason, but he couldn't bear to know that I would continue to work with the dead." Undertaker said, taking a long sip of his tea before setting it down and standing. He went over to a small cupboard and took from it a clay jar. When he sat back down, he pulled off the top and offered the jar to Ciel. Peering inside, Ciel saw the jar was filled with bone shaped biscuits – just like he remembered. Swallowing his pride and trying to reason with his grumbling stomach, Ciel reached in and took a biscuit.

"Okay." He said in between bites. "Then what happened?"

"Well, since the Aristocrats of Evil had technically been disbanded we all went our separate ways; but I was one of the only ones who actually changed profession. Now, as you can see, I run that little shop downstairs."

"A clothes shop?" Ciel asked, and the Undertaker smiled.

"Ah, but not any old clothes, right?" the silver haired man smirked. "But old fashioned clothes. You see I always fancied myself a bit of a historian for English History when I wasn't prettying up the dead, so I thought I'd combine the knowledge I have of the human body and the passion I had for past centuries fashion. I work by commission, y'see, for people who want fancy costumes or museums doin' exhibits and such."

Ciel took a sip of his tea to down the soft, dry shortcake biscuit. It didn't seem illogical, but it wasn't something he would have done. But then again, the Undertaker he was sitting across from now didn't seem all that different to the Undertaker he'd known in his past life, and _that_ Undertaker had certainly been a handle to comprehend.

"Is it much of a life?" he asked, and the Undertaker shrugged.

"I don't need much. A bit of room, a few metres of cloth; and it keeps me out of trouble and away from the public eye. See no one wants to 'ave anything to do with the corky old man who would make the dead look nice for the grave after they say he went mad and sold up his business coz of some promise he made to a friend." He said, and Ciel blinked. "But most of my customers like what I do and they pay me good for it. So they get the quality they pay for. Speakin' of which, I should be having a cheque arrive for me any day now."

"What for?" Ciel inquired, intrigued.

The Undertaker chuckled. "I just had a big commission for a large convention that's takin' place in _ Manchester next two weeks, and I've been asked if I'll make a selection and go up to sell 'em there." He reached over his tatty armchair and picked up a small poster advertisement from where it had been sitting next to his chair on the floor before handing it over to Ciel. "Here, 'ave a look."

Ciel took the flyer and looked it over, but he was stunned when he saw the header of the poster.

_**.:NOAH'S ARC CONVENTION TROUPE!:.**_

_**~Welcomes you to this years Historical Steampunk Convention!~**_

"Somethin' wrong kid?" the Undertaker asked, looking a little concerned as Ciel gripped the flyer tightly. He knew these people…all of them. They were the group of assassins who had staged themselves as a circus troupe. They had kidnapped children to make into their puppets. Their ringleader was the Baron Kelvin, the madman who was in search of being the most beautiful man in the world.

Ciel had stopped him.

Joker's smile was grinning up at him from the page, and it was hard for him to tear his eyes away from it, only for his gaze to be caught by the sight of one of the logo's of one of the convention's sponsors.

_**Proudly sponsored by the Funtom Corporation.**_

Ciel felt feel himself trembling, and the Undertaker got up and stepped around Ciel's chair to look over the top of his head at the flyer, putting his large hands on Ciel's narrow shoulders and gently massaging them to calm him.

"Easy there, kid," the Undertaker murmured. "What's got yer knees knockin'?"

Ciel pointed at the sponsorship logo. "That…that's my…"

"Your fathers company, yeah. The Funtom Corporation is still going strong after all these years despite your old mans retreat from society. He and your mother I last heard were withdrawing from the social light completely in mourning for you, their lost little boy. I heard something about him handing the reins of the company over to one of his most trusted employees' – so they keep sponsoring the convention in Vincent's absence."

_Vincent's absence. _Those two words stuff in Ciel's mind, and he looked up at the Undertaker.

"Where's my father now?" he asked, knowing how pitiful his pleading voice sounded, but the Undertaker shook his head sadly.

"I don't know, kid. I honestly don't know." He said, and Ciel's heart sank, his shoulders falling. The Undertaker had once been one of his father's most trusted companions and associates. If he didn't know where Vincent Phantomhive was, it was most likely that Vincent had done an excellent job of disappearing from society.

"There has to be a way to get in touch with him," Ciel murmured, dropping his eyes back to the flyer still clasped in his good hand. The Undertaker had given him a couple of pain relief tablets for his sprained elbow, which was now wrapped in a make-shift sling that the mortician-gone-historical fashion designer had fashioned from a spare length of soft lace after wrapping Ciel's forearm and elbow in a bandage he'd dug out from an ancient looking first-aid box. Ciel glanced down at the dull white bandage. It was a symbol that he had survived the attack from the triplets; sent after him by the Hospital.

If he could survive, then he could find his father. His eyes fell back on the picture of Joker's smiling face on the poster. The Noah's Arc Convention Troupe. Not a circus. but close enough, he guessed. Sponsored by the Funtom Company. Suddenly, an idea began to form in his mind, and Ciel couldn't help but smile a little as he thought that this was almost like how he used to be; devising plots and plans to uncover the truth of something he'd been sent by the Queen to investigate.

This time, it wasn't the Queen he was obeying – it was his desire to find his parents; to be reunited with them.

"Undertaker," he said quietly, and the silver-haired man leant over his shoulder and smiled.

"I think I hear a tone that's not unlike your fathers. It's the way he'd say my name when he'd just had some brilliant idea." He said, before he considered something. "Well, it was usually either brilliant, or real stupid."

Ciel allowed himself to chuckle a little. "This might just be a little bit of both."

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

OKAY SO THIS WAS MASSIVELY OVERDUE AND I'M REALLY REALLY SORRY PLEASE DON'T HATE ME PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW I LOVE YOU LEMME LOVE YOU AND ADORE YOU JUST REVIEW AND TELL ME YOU DON'T HATE ME PLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAASEE

Actually *straightens tie* I'm not that desperate, but I'd very much love you A LOT if you'd review to say how much you think I should update more often. So I'll pose a question for you all: do you think I should have a set date that I update on? Do you think that you be better than just updating whenever?

Okay. I'll leave you all be now.

_Mercy_


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

*crashes through door, breathing hard with storyboards in hand* I'M HERE, I'M HERE! PLEASE DON'T START WITHOU-…. O_O….oh wait…wrong place. Good thing I brought an update of the story with me too, huh! Who knows, I might have accidentally updated the wrong thing! I'm being recruited into a storyboarding position on an upcoming My Little Pony fanimation and I've been so bogged down with commissions lately that I actually had to literally lock myself in my room where there is NOTHING MLP related but like, two posters. I locked myself in this evening with a cup of tea and finished this goddamn chapter, finally!

So anyhow. How have you all been? Please review. I love you. I hate begging for reviews. But I need to know that you don't all think I'm a huge Hasbro-fan sell-out.

_- Mercy_

…

_Pluto gets punched. Nuff said._

_And look, what a catchy chapter title. Ooooh mercy's sooo original, huh._

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One:** Old Timers and Old Maid

**-:-**

Seventy-two long hours had passed very, very slowly, and Pluto had made the best he could of it before becoming completely and utterly bored. He knew fully well that any dirt he could dig up on the Dispatch whilst he was technically imprisoned here would be useful to Sebastian, but in the end, no one had been any less than politely kind to him as he'd been wandering the office rooms and long white corridors. He'd stayed out of their way and they had left him be.

And they were all so _boring_.

Of all of the shoulder's he'd glanced over, all the screens he'd looked at inconspicuously on his way past, all the snippets of conversations he'd pretended not to hear – there wasn't _anything_ to suggest that anything was being done about the Phantomhive case at all. All the agents seemed far more concerned with every other case that came across their desks.

So, as the later end of the evening began to settle into night, Pluto was attempting to ease his gnawing boredom by exploring more of the establishments buildings. There was the main office building, along with a hospital wing to one side and on the other side, there was a large gymnasium for the field agents training. There was an armoury, along with a small, dome-shaped building set behind but linked by a long enclosed outdoor corridors to the other buildings – at the entrance to the corridor that linked the buildings, there was a rather obvious "staff only" sign hung across the walls of the corridor on a think chain. Pluto had been about to simply step over the chain, but he had remembered what Agent Spears had said; he felt that, maybe if he respected the stiff-backed agent's request to stay where he'd been told, perhaps Spears would be more lenient in letting him go sooner.

He had by now wandered into the gymnasium, which was half submerged in the ground, and had hanging walkways running high above the floor level for people to pass across the gym floor without disturbing anyone training below. Pluto listened to the clunk of his boots over the metal walkway as he moved above the floor, glancing over the side of the railing to catch sight of a group of agents packing away a set of training equipment. Among them, he spied, was William T Spears.

Taking the metal set of railed stairs down to the laminated wooden floor, Pluto smirked to himself as he began to approach the group; they started to disperse once Spears dismissed them after the equipment was safely packed away in a storage room, and none of them seemed to take any particular notice of the silver haired young man as he approached Spears from behind.

"So." He said, keeping his tone casual as he silently rejoiced in seeing Spears jump a little before turned swiftly on his heel to face Pluto. The agent sighed and readjusted his glasses.

"And what do you want?" there was a hint of aversion in Spears' voice, but Pluto smirked through it, liking the way he was getting under William's skin.

"Not much. Just, you know, to get out of this place."

The agent tilted his glasses down so that he could peer at Pluto from over the top of them. "And what gave you the notion that you'd gain your freedom before the agreed release date? You still have a week here."

Pluto groaned inwardly – the mere 'few days' that William had first stated would be the length of his stay had been extended to a week and a half. He'd already been here for three days, and it was really beginning to frustrate him. He had thought that, perhaps if he'd given Spears a little space, shown the stiff-upper lipped agent that he was abiding by the rules he'd been set, that just maybe William would be prepared to release him before the designated time. Apparently, not.

"Aw, come on – don't you think I've suffered enough?" he asked, allowing himself to sound just a _little_ whiny. All it seemed to do was irritate Spears, which made Pluto smile to himself. At least he could get entertainment from getting on William's nerves. Pluto suspected that the guy probably wasn't the best with small children, either.

"Why do you bother trying?" the agent asked with an agitated sigh. "Do you honestly think you're the first case we've had in this position? There have been a lot more patients in your current state and they have been a lot pushier; none of them have ever been released before their scheduled time."

Pluto visibly rolled his eyes. "Have any of them made deals?"

"For their freedom? Not a chance." Spears said curtly. "Now, if you'll excuse me – I must shower and change before – "

"Hold on a sec," Pluto stepped into William's path as the agent began to make his way past him. "I'll strike you a deal."

Spears paused and raised an eyebrow at Pluto – Pluto was thankful for his good height, because he was the exact same height as the rather tall agent; that meant that William wasn't looking down his nose at him. They were eye to eye.

"I don't make deals." Spears said coldly, stressing the emphasis on ever word. "Let me pass."

Pluto held his ground, and even when William stepped forward again, right up into Pluto's face in an attempt to intimidate him, he didn't dare flinch. He had grown used to not flinching not matter what happened. The Hospital had taught him that.

"No."

"Now."

"Listen to me."

William T Spears took a long, deep breath before exhaling slowly, an obvious act of remaining calm.

"Do you really have nothing better to do than infuriate me and obstruct my path?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. He huffed in annoyance as Pluto opened his mouth to reply. "Don't even bother answering that. Fine. What do you want?"

Pluto grinned. "Well, you know, I don't do well inside cooped up areas – "

"You have free access to any of our outside facilities, so long as you stay within the perimeter of the Dispatch." Will cut in, and Pluto rolled his eyes.

"Hey, cut me off when I'm _done_ talking, thanks. Anyhow, I've got this…itch. I'm the kinda guy who likes to be out and about – I'd chose to be prowlin' the streets any day instead of bein' stuck in a cramped little office and – "

"Cut to the chase."

Pluto scowled at him again for another interruption, before sighing. "Fight me."

"I beg your pardon?" one of Will's eyebrows rose.

"Come on – one point match. First one down loses. You lose, I walk out of here right now – no one following me, no bugs in my clothes or any kinda device that can track my location. I lose, I stay and let you prod more meaningless questions at me that you'll never get the answers to," Pluto said. "It's fair trade – you get to go back to your own shady business and I get the heck out of here. Deal?"

He saw the barest hint of surprise on William's face – it quickly, and very, very briefly flickered to mirth before being replaced by his usual stoic expression. "That's against every rule set in this Dispatch Society. I refuse. No deal."

"Rules are made to be broken," Pluto coerced gently, taking more of a fighting stance. William looked unimpressed.

"I will not fight you."

Pluto was dancing around him by now – the energy he'd been saving up over the last three days was finally going to overflow; what better way to blow off steam than to fight somebody? He might have been an engineer, but everyone in the Hospital had known Pluto was the best security when it came to body guards – he'd had more than one Keeper request his protection when they'd had to make trips out of the Hospital and into the general public. Some of them had reputations that would have the first person to recognize them pull a gun on them in broad daylight. Pluto had taken more than his fair share of risks and almost been shot on several occasions, all because the heads of the Hospital had instructed him to do so, if it meant the safety of the Keepers was assured. Without the Keepers, there was no experiment. Now, as he poised his fists, ready to swing or block an attack, he felt far more at home than he had ever done at any engineering garage. He was good at fighting – especially with his fists.

"Don't be an idiot," William said, irritated. "You're still recovering from the injuries inflicted by Agent Slingby – that arm of yours is in no shape to be- -"

William was cut short as Pluto launched a punch into his jaw – the black haired agent went flying, caught completely off guard, and was sent tumbling to the floor in a rather ungraceful heap. He pushed himself up off the gymnasium floor, wiping a small trickle of blood from his lip – his glasses were skewed, and he looked as if he was going to have one heck of a bruise on his jaw line.

"Assaulting a federal agent. That's punishable by law," he muttered, but Pluto merely smirked.

"Gonna run to your officials? Your higher ups? Betcha you'd have a lot of paperwork to fill out," he gloated, and he could see Will's composure slowly beginning to fade and his anger rise. This was good. "Come on. Let's start again – wasn't really fair on you that time. Next time one of us goes down, the other one is declared the winner and we go our happy, separate ways."

William glowered at him. "This is ridiculous. Even if we were to fight, you would not beat me."

"Oh? What makes you so sure, _old timer_?" Pluto smirked, and he saw a flash of irritation in Will's eyes. The agent was beginning to give in. It wouldn't be much longer now…

"_Old timer_?" William growled.

"Come on, _old man_. Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough."

Pluto darted forward, firing a hit aimed directly at Will's nose this time, when his fist stopped, quite literally, dead in the air, but the momentum of his body behind the swing kept him moving forwards – he landed squarely chest-to-chest with the older agent, who, he saw, had caught his fist in his hand like it was nothing but a tennis ball that had been gently lobbed at him. Glancing up, Pluto realized his mistake. He had underestimated William – and a second later, he received a swift punch right in the guts for all his efforts. He crumpled to his knees, and William let him fall.

Sucking in painful gulps of air, Pluto cursed himself for being so stupid. William still towered above him, but leant down, just enough to reach out and give Pluto a gentle shove in the shoulder, and the silver haired young man toppled over onto his side, still wheezing and gasping like a fish out of water. Then, the dark haired agent turned on his heel and walked away, towards the doors of the gymnasium.

"Try not to take on too many more _old timers_ while you're here," Will called over his shoulder, but despite his words Pluto couldn't hear a trace of mockery or mirth in his voice. If anything, it was chiding. A warning. "You might hurt more than just your pride next time."

Pluto stayed, curled up in a ball, on the floor.

**-:-**

"…How the _hell_ dare you?!" it was Sebastian's furious voice jolted Ciel from sleep. He bolted upright and looked around, expecting to see Sebastian towering over him like some sort of disapproving father figure. But he wasn't, and Ciel was completely along in this small, cramped little bedroom – and he wasn't in the Undertaker's shop anymore. No, this was the same room he and Sebastian had shared the night before, the one he'd snuck out from. As the world became a little clearer after he blinked away the sleep grit in his tired eyes, he caught sight of a clock sitting on the nightstand. It was well after dawn – almost mid-morning.

Downstairs, he could hear more voices, not just Sebastian's but also others – lowered voices that he couldn't quite hear, but he strained his ears to pick up Sebastian's angry words.

"Reckless…should have called for us…what the hell was he thinking…" Ciel bit his lip; apparently Sebastian had discovered him gone. What Ciel couldn't figure out, though, was how he had gotten back here.

Climbing slowly from the bed, he could feel his aching little body complain with every move he made. The cold air from the night before combined with the adrenaline, the running from the triplets…the aches and pains in his back and neck all brought back a flood of memories, most of which Ciel would like to have forgotten. However, he could still hear Sebastian flying off the door handle downstairs at whoever it was that was down there with him, so he shuffled into a pair of clothes he found folded on the edge of the bed and crept down the stairs until he could see around the corner of the banister into the kitchen below.

Gathered around the small, cramped dining table was Mey-Rin, Bardroy and Mister Lau, alongside Madame Red and Finni. At the head of the table facing towards the stairs with his back to the front door, the Undertaker himself, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded casually and a kooky little smile on his face. Ciel's breath hitched – what was he doing here?

"I can't believe he did this," he heard Sebastian say as the doctor paced into view – Sebastian looked tired, frazzled, and angry – as if he'd spent several hours awakened from sleep pacing around. "What the hell did he think he was _doing_, running off like that?"

"Y'can't quiet a childs dreams of bein' reunited with his father," the Undertaker said with a smile. "He's quite lucky he stumbled upon my little shop, in fact – "

"I'd much rather _you_ be quiet," Sebastian snapped, glaring at the Undertaker, who's smiled quickly faded. Ciel cowered a little further back behind the banister, out of sight. "After everything we've ever told him. Everything. He runs off like nothing matters. What if he'd been killed?"

Ciel saw Finni, Mey-Rin and Bardroy all grimace, and Madame Red's shoulders slumped ever so slightly. Lau looked amused be the entire situation, and Ciel momentarily wondered where Ran Mau was, and if she was all right. The Undertaker, however, didn't lose his cool.

"But he wasn't, was he? He's safe now."

"That's not the point – "

"Ah, but it _matters_, dunnit?" The Undertaker quipped, and Sebastian was brought up short. Ciel felt bad for causing Sebastian such frustration – he must have been worried when he'd woken up to find Ciel missing. Very worried, from the looks of the crows' feet and shadows beneath Sebastian's tired eyes.

"I-…" Sebastian faltered, before quickly rallying. "Nonetheless. Nothing came of this stupid childish endeavour – I made him a promise and I'll damn well stick to it if he'll just damn well stay alive long enough."

Ciel winced – the words stung. But he told himself, he had to be strong. He had to prove to Sebastian that he could be strong – and independent. It took a moment for him to gather his courage.

"Oh?" Undertaker said, sounding a little amused before raising a hand. "Well, you might think nothing has come from this but trouble, but I'd ask for a second opinion."

Sebastian turned towards the stairs, looking where the Undertaker was pointing, and Ciel realized that the Undertaker had seen him hiding there the entire time. Swallowing hard, Ciel stood and stepped down the stairs to the landing, looking Sebastian straight in the eye. The doctor's jaw fell open, and he was at loss for words.

"C-Ciel…"

"Something _did_ come of this, Sebastian." Ciel said softly. He kept his voice low, so that no one could hear the tremour in it. Everyone was looking at him now, their eyes wide. He glanced at Angeline – she looked as if she was about to cry or hit something. A glance at Finni, Bardroy and Mey-Rin showed relief crossing all their faces. Lau showed no sign of surprise, merely his tell-tale smile spoke for his hidden emotions. The Undertaker was smiling at Ciel knowingly, and so, Ciel cleared his throat and returned his gaze to Sebastian. "I discovered something that might lead to finding my parents."

Sebastian seemed to gather himself before replying. "After almost getting yourself caught by the Hospital's thugs. They would have seen you dead before you could have begged for mercy."

"But I escaped," Ciel said, determined to not look like a complete wimp. Being a wimp hadn't been any part of his previous life. But he had hope now – did that make the heart soft? "And that's what matters. And now I'm here again, and we're all here. Isn't that what really matters, Sebastian?"

Sebastian looked like he was having an internal argument with himself – and Ciel honestly didn't blame him. Now that he thought about it, what he'd done _was _childish and stupid. He _could _have died. Been taken back to the Hospital. They'd have had so much fun back there, picking apart his addled little mind after fooling it with some cheap trick. But he focussed on Sebastian, pushing down the ugly mental images that had sudden risen their heads in his mind.

"…Fine." Sebastian seemed to come to a decision. "But please, no more of this running off in the middle of the night, all right?" he came over to the stairs and beckoned for Ciel to take a few steps down. He stretched out his hand to Ciel, and Ciel took it. "Deal?"

"Deal." Ciel shook Sebastian's hand. "I'm sorry I worried you." He looked up at everyone. "All of you. I should have woken someone up first."

Everyone looked far more relieved that Sebastian's anger seemed to have subsided, and the tension in the room was dissipating as Ciel stepped down to join them all in the kitchen, Sebastian by his side. This felt right – it felt almost just like he'd remembered from his other life. The alternate life, where Sebastian had always had his back, always been there to protect him. This life was so much different, though, and Ciel knew that he couldn't always rely on Sebastian. After all, he wasn't the demon who had traded his service for Ciel's soul after answering a desperate plea from a sacrificial lamb that didn't want to die. He might have saved Ciel's life, perhaps more than several times, but it had been through the medical art of science, not magic or demonic powers.

Things quietened down in the kitchen after that – Bardroy was preparing a late breakfast for Ciel as Ciel discussed the plan that he'd half cooked up last night with the Undertaker in more depth with Sebastian and the others. Mey-Rin, Finni and Bardroy thought the convention was a good idea, Sebastian was sceptical but he was able to see Ciel's point, and the Undertaker had offered to even create them an entire ensemble of costumes, free of charge, so that they would blend in with the rest of the convention goers. Madame Red had departed the opium den house soon after also agreeing to go, because if anyone would be able to recognize someone associated with the Funtom Company and Ciel's father, then his sister-in-law would undoubtedly be able to. Lau politely made it known that he would not be attended the event, and everyone agreed that any more people was more likely to arouse the curiosity of other people at the convention.

Last of all, the Undertaker provided them with on other option.

"Let's do it."

"Don't be stupid, Ciel," Sebastian cut in. "We're _not_ entering a cosplay competition."

Ciel felt a twitch of disappointment, but he was determined to argue his point.

"Come on, Sebastian. We need to get the attention of the Funtom Company. What better way to do it than get right up close and personal with them on stage? Undertaker said that one of the judges was going to be the head of Funtom, making a special appearance. This is the perfect opportunity."

"Do you know just how many security cameras and guards there will be at this event?" Sebastian asked seriously. "A lot. Plus, it's undoubtedly going to be crawling with agents from the Hospital and I wouldn't be surprised if there were going to be some from the Dispatch too. Also, yes, while you'd be on stage getting eye-to-eye to see if whoever is judging just might be vaguely connected to your father, you'll also be in the spotlight of hundreds of other people, watching you. Judging your every move. If you got carried away, then everyone would know it was you – why can't we all argue to try and keep a low profile this time?"

"So, when you say 'low profile'," Bardroy said as he slid some scrambled eggs onto the plate in front of Ciel. "You mean, like, no rocket launchers and stuff?"

Sebastian looked like he was going to try and plant his face in the table. "No rocket launchers. No grenades, firearms or weaponry of any sort other than one handgun each. Just in case things get ugly."

"I get a gun?" Ciel asked with raised eyebrows, and Sebastian sent him an unamused glance.

"Not funny. You and Madame Red won't be armed. You leave _our _security detail to us." He nodded around at Mey-Rin, Finnian and Bardroy. "We know what sort of thing we're looking for when it comes to the Hospital."

Ciel smirked to himself as he dug into his scrambled eggs. "Come on, Sebastian. You know that the cosplay competition is a good idea."

"No it isn't," Sebastian countered easily.

"It'll be worth it."

"No, it won't."

They didn't look directly at each other, but they glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Ciel spooned another mouthful of breakfast into his mouth, and Sebastian took a long sip of his coffee. The doctor let out a sigh as he set down his cup, and Ciel and the Undertaker shared a small smile. They had won.

"Fine." Sebastian said in exasperation. "But it's not going to be anything big."

The Undertaker smiled. "You'll need a story if you're entering the competition." He said, and Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

"A story. If you're going to go on stage and flash yer fancy costumes at the crowd as a big group, then you'll need a story to go with it. A background story that frames all of your characters within their costumes. It'll also help with my designing of the clothes, too."

Sebastian blinked, and then, he looked at Ciel. Ciel nodded.

"I think I have a good story already," he smiled as he set down his spoon.

"Oh?" The Undertaker asked, looking genuinely surprised. "And what's that now?"

Ciel glanced around at everyone seated at the table, and they all nodded. They all knew, too. "Well, it starts off with a young boy who summons a demon..."

**-:-**

The rest of the morning past without much incident. Ran-Mau reappeared at Lau's side somewhere around midday, and as surprised as Ciel was to see her, he was even more surprised to see that she didn't look like she'd taken any hits or injuries whatsoever the night before. In fact, she looked just like she always did.

It was in the later end of the afternoon, after the Undertaker had taken his leave, when Bardroy, Mey-Rin and Finni has convinced Sebastian and Ciel, who had spent most of the afternoon resting, to come downstairs and play Old Maid in the kitchen with them. It was then, that there was a knock at the kitchen door. Everyone just about fell out of their chairs trying to scramble up in a defensive position – the three all standing in defence of Sebastian, and Sebastian in front of Ciel. No one else should know about their location – and Lau wouldn't knock.

"Who is it?" Sebastian called cautiously, and there was an exasperated sigh from the other side of the door. The voice was all too recognizable.

"Geez, it's just me. Let me in already, I think I'm going to sneeze with all these opium sacks everywhere."

Everyone relaxed, and Sebastian crossed the kitchen to the door.

"Grell? Is there anyone else with you?"

"Are you _kidding_ me? I had to blow nearly twenty bucks on fuel money just to lose the jokers that were tailing me. _And_ it took me forever to find this place. What a dump. Let me in, Bassy, I'll catch cold out here in this dank old cellar."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and unlocked the door, opening it a crack to peer out at the red-headed agent. Once he confirmed that Grell was alone, he turned back to the others and gestured for them to hide Ciel up the stairs quietly. From around the banister, the four of them watched as Sebastian let Grell in, and then did a quick frisk-search of the agent's person. Then, once satisfied that Grell wasn't carrying any hidden cameras, microphones, tracer tags or guns, Sebastian called up the stairs for them to all come back down again.

"So, what business does a Dispatch agent have down here?" Bardroy asked cautiously, and he, Mey-Rin and Finnian were still standing protectively in front of Ciel.

"Well, no thanks to the brat you're all so desperate to hide from us, I've been put under 'inconspicuous surveillance' as Will calls it, because he _knows_ all about the little meeting we had with the nutcase Drocell. So I've come to deliver a message in person, because losing a couple of newbie-agents on potty training duty is easier than having all my calls and emails traced to any outside-of-Dispatch location." Grell said, glowering at Ciel. Clearly, the red head was _not_ in the best of moods. "And I'm only here because I was bullied into it."

"Bullied?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "By who? Who else knows of our location?"

Grell's expression turned sour. "A certain idiot who seems to think he's pretty hot stuff. A certain one of your lot."

"_Pluto_!" Finni cried, his face lighting up. "_Ohmigawrsh_ – is he okay? How is he? Where is he?"

Grell held up a hand. "Ease up there kid. Your man-child's fine, but he got his ego bruised by Will this afternoon when he tried to strike a dumb deal and got himself punched in the gut for all his stupid efforts. Tried to get out of there before Will was prepared to let him go. So, he came whining to me until I gave in. He asked me to tell you all that he's fine, and that he'll be taking a vacation at the Dispatch for another week or so."

"A _week_?" Bardroy exclaimed. "That's bull! What the hell are they doing to him?"

"_Nothing_," Grell snarled. "Absolutely nothing. No interrogations, no torture. He's pretty much there of his own free will apart from the whole not being allowed to leave thing. He's got access to just about everywhere except the really top-secret places and stuff, and he's been spending the last three days annoying the hell out of the other agents, looking over their shoulders and eavesdropping on their conversations when they think he's not."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Bardroy and Sebastian even smirked.

"That certainly sounds like our Pluto," Sebastian smiled, before turning serious again. "Is he injured?"

"Busted wrist and a couple of bruised ribs. A black eye, maybe. Sorry he won't be in tip-top condition when we return him to you." Grell said, not really sounding like he meant it.

"I'm sure he'll survive. You mentioned that he tried to take on Spears?" Sebastian asked, and Ciel wondered if he and William T Spears knew each other personally. He recalled that the two of them hadn't been the fondest of friends in his alternate life.

"Yeah, and boy it would have been great to watch," Grell smirked. "Apparently he tried to fight Will in exchange for his freedom – he wins, he walks. Will wins; he stays put for the next week, no further argument. I'm told it wasn't not as exciting as it sounds – though Will _is_ sporting an impressive bruise on his chin."

"Good old Pluto," Bardroy snickered. "Bet he landed the first punch, too."

"Yep – except Will landed the last." Grell said, and their faces fell. "Oh, don't worry, he's not harmed. Will just put the kid back in his place, that's all. Apparently it was a two-hit thing. He hit Will, Will hit him, just harder."

They nodded, before Ciel piped up, suddenly thinking of something that Sebastian had mentioned that morning. Something about members from the Dispatch being at the Steampunk convention.

"Say Grell, do you know about the upcoming convention?"

Grell blinked, and had to lean to the side to look around Mey-Rin's defensive elbow to look at Ciel. "What, the Steampunk one that we've all got a high-alert on because it's rumoured that your dad's going to be making a come-back appearance?"

The whole room went silent, and Grell looked around at them all. "What? You look like you've all been slapped in the face with the sad side of a fish."

"M-my…my father…" Ciel whispered, feeling a cold stone of…_something _fall very quickly in his stomach.

"We haven't heard anything of the like," Sebastian managed to gather himself, clearing his throat. "We were talking with one of the supplies of the costumes for the convention earlier; he didn't mention anything about Vincent Phantomhive making an appearance."

"Oh yeah, apparently he's coming out of hiding or something. No one knows why, but he's making a reappearance for the Funtom Company, that big family-run business of his that he handed off when he went into retirement three years ago and disappeared off the map with his wife." Grell said, glancing at Ciel. Ciel was having difficulty focussing on much more than the kitchen floor – he couldn't believe what he was hearing. When he finally managed to look up, the first eyes he met were Sebastian's.

"There's no backing out of this now," he said, and Sebastian nodded. "We're going to the convention."

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

You know the funny thing is that I usually have something to write here, like how I've been ill lately or how my mum decided to leave me on my own with my sibling for like, five days while she goes to a wedding so I've been taking on her shifts at work (I work at the same place she does. She just works more days than me). Or maybe how my boyfriend's going, how much I adore him. How much tea I'm drinking that I'm probably going to get sugar poisoning or something or how many MLP commissions I've taken on recently.

But honestly? I can't think of anything to say here. So thanks for listening.

_- Mercy_


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

So I think I kind of owe you all a bit of an extra update since I haven't been updating incredibly much recently. I've had this big burst of rewatching Kuroshitsuji and remembering just how much I adore it in its complete whackiness and unholy sadness, because my GOD this stuff can be hilarious one second and then depressing the next. Where would we be if we didn't have the Phantomhive servants as comic relief?

So. Here you are, to entice you all into reading more and reviewing again ;A; seriously guys I love you all please come back and review more. I got like, six reviews for the last chapter. I'm thinking maybe if I update more often you'll all come back and keep reading and telling me that I'm lazy and yet the story is good and all that because I neeeeed iiiiiiit~

*ahem* anyhow, here's Chapter 22, for you. That's right – you. Right there, in the third row. You know who you are.

_- Mercy_

…

'_Koyo jin, koyo jin'_

_-Undertaker, "Undertaker's Character Song"_

_anyone who can tell me what this means gets ten glory points and a high-five :D_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two:** His Own Worst Enemy Was Himself

**-:-**

"I thought I told you to concentrate."

Ciel cracked one eye opened and looked at Sebastian. He was sitting cross-legged on the other side of the double bed they had been sharing in this small, cramped room. The doctor's breathing was slow, rhythmic, but no matter how he tried to mimic Sebastian's relaxed posture, or the same, gentle breathing pattern, he wasn't able to stay focused. His thoughts were all over the place.

"I can't," he sighed, giving up and letting his shoulders slump. "I can't get what Grell said today about my father out of my head."

Sebastian too opened his eyes, and let out a long, deep sigh. "I know that it's getting to you. Which is why this is important. On top of that, we've barely had any time in the last few days to practice. If you want to break through that barrier again, then you must _concentrate_."

Once again, Ciel closed his eyes, and took several long, slow breaths, holding them as Sebastian instructed before exhaling in the same, deliberate manner. The doctor began speaking again, words that were sometimes murmurs, sometimes words urging Ciel to visualize certain things, and then, he asked for a key word, to reawaken them.

"Butler," Ciel replied without hesitation, and with Sebastian's soothing murmurs and mutterings, he finally found himself beginning to relax. He saw darkness in his minds eye, occasionally shapes, shadows, and then, he saw Sebastian.

The world seemed to fade in around them from the darkness of Ciel's minds eye, and they were once again in the white-washed hallway. This time, however, Sebastian was dressed in a long white laboratory coat over the top of a thinly striped blue and white dress shirt, and his tie had been pulled from around his neck to act as a blindfold.

"Where are we, Ciel?" Sebastian's voice broke through his thoughts.

"T-the hallway, again." Ciel replied, and Sebastian nodded, before holding out an arm.

"Take my sleeve, Ciel, and guide me."

Doing as he was told, Ciel wracked his brain to remember how Drocell had guided him through this first process several days previous. It seemed so long ago now, but it was less than five days ago. Gently dragging Sebastian along behind him, Ciel began to move down the hallway – it was then that he noticed what he was wearing. His small frame was clad in nothing but a flimsy hospital gown. His feet were bare, and on his wrist, there was a plastic bracelet with a tag on it. He saw his own name printed in Sebastian's delicate handwriting on the tag, and the bracelet was stamped with some sort of official hospital seal. As they walked, the hallway began to warp around him, changing shape and becoming scarily unreal, and he could feel himself beginning to tremble violently.

"Calm down, Ciel. I'm here with you, nothing can hurt you." Sebastian said, his voice clear and firm, and Ciel forced himself to breathe and focus again. The walls stopped morphing and the hallway slowly returned to its normal state – he realized that he had been incredibly scared, and it was the fear that was warping the world of his minds eye out of shape. He imagined Sebastian as his butler at his side, walking calmly just behind him as his visage of the real Sebastian moved carefully by his side. The butler Sebastian said nothing, and did nothing but prowl behind them and smirk to himself. Ciel wasn't all too sure whether to feel safer or even more scared, so he chose to cling even tighter to the white lab-coated Sebastian's sleeve.

The hallway came to a rather abrupt end after a much longer walk than last time, but instead of walking straight into the invisible blockade this time, Ciel could feel the hum of energy before he hit the mental barrier – they had once again reached what Drocell had called 'the beginning'.

"And now, I have to focus on something I really, really want to see that's somewhere on the other side of this, right?" Ciel asked, trying to suppress the tremour in his voice. Somewhere along the way, the butler Sebastian had disappeared without a trace, leaving only the two of them standing there.

"Yes," Sebastian nodded. "This time, instead of your parents, think perhaps of someone they were closely associated with. Someone you knew, met a few times when you were young. A close friend of the family that your parents have known since before the whole Hospital incident."

"How will this help me? What I can't think of any?" Ciel looked up at the blindfolded doctor, who shrugged.

"It'll draw your attention away from me, for one thing. You closely associate myself with something to do with your parents. However, if you associate someone else, someone you've known for longer, without even having to know their name, you might be able to hold that focus for longer, and it won't turn out that you've stumbled across an unpleasant memory."

As crazy as it sounded, Ciel saw the sense in it. "…Right," he said, and then, he thought back over his parents. Who did he know that they had been friends with? Who could he remember…?

He had a flashback of his father, much younger, possibly no older than seventeen, reclining in a long, slender rowboat, gliding away from the shores of a gazebo that was set beside the waters edge. The pool was deep, dark and green, with algae and pond plants rippling gently over its surface as the light dappled the water through the shadows of a tree. On the gazebo was someone calling after him. A tall young man. Broad shoulders, dark hair. Angry snarl on his face.

The face…seemed familiar. Ciel's breath hitched as he focussed on that face – yes, he remembered now. Not a name, but he remembered often seeing this man associated with Vincent Phantomhive. They had been…companions. No, friends. Friends seemed like the better way to describe the sort of relationship he saw between his father and this man. This man with a heavy accent and a large appetite, if he recalled correctly…

A moment later, he was tumbling through the barrier, Sebastian yanked along with him, and he found himself standing on the far bank of the garden where the gazebo was located, watching what was happening in front of him unfold. But…how could he remember this? This must surely have been from long before he had been born.

"Damn you, Phantomhive!" the German was cursing, and Ciel heard his father snickering as the boat glided soundlessly away from the gazebo.

"I've finally got what I've always wanted, D," Vincent Phantomhive was calling back to the German young man still raging on the small dock next to the gazebo. "A loyal German dog."

"Get the hell back here, dammit! This isn't funny!" the German cried furiously, which only made Vincent laugh harder.

"Of course it is!"

"Phantomhiiiive!"

The scene changed, quite suddenly, and it was as if the seasons had changed around them. Ciel and Sebastian were still standing exactly where they were before, but the scenery now looked as though it were early winter. The gazebo still stood on the far bank, but now, there was a thin layer of snow covering its roof, and the large trees that adorned the garden had lost all of their leaves, leaving their branches bare. Ciel startled, and he felt Sebastian gently nudge his sleeve.

"What's wrong?"

"I…I remember this…" Ciel breathed. "But how…?"

There were two figures approaching the gazebo. A young man and a young woman – it took Ciel a second to realize that it was his father again, and at his side, her head bowed as if in shyness, his mother, Rachael.

"Come Rachael," Vincent was saying, guiding her to the gazebo's cover from the soft, chilly breeze that swept over the grounds. "Surely there will be a way around this. Anything you desire, you know it will be yours."

"But," Rachael replied, and Ciel could feel something aching within his chest. It was like he'd heard this, or seen it, a long time ago… "But in return, I will be yours."

Vincent was smiling. "Yes. I know it must be sudden, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"We must keep it a secret from both our families. God knows what my father will say," Rachael seemed scared, perhaps even upset. But Vincent lay a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It will be all right. I meant every word that I have ever said to you."

Ciel watched as his parents conversed, and he came to the realization that this must be before their married, perhaps even before he had been conceived. After all, Vincent was still in his high school uniform. And Rachael was dressed in a similar school uniform, but she was clearly from another school.

"…You…you do?" Rachael sounded surprised. Vincent smiled, and suddenly, Ciel knew why he was seeing this. He knew where this memory had come from.

"Of course." Vincent said, suddenly taking Rachael's hand and dropping to one knee.

Inhaling sharply, Ciel's vision suddenly changed again – it was a loud party, and he and Sebastian were standing in the midst of all the festive party-goers.

"Ciel?" Sebastian asked hesitantly. "What are you seeing?"

"My…parents…" Ciel whispered, suddenly catching sight of them. They were dressed in beautiful, fancy clothes, greeting guests by the door and inviting them into the manor house that Ciel realized must have been their family estate. Several small children were running around everyone's feet, laughing and playing tag. Ciel recognized himself, and his eyes widened as he also recognized the blonde head of golden locks squealing and laughing along side the younger Ciel – her name was Elizabeth Midford.

"E-Elizabeth!" Ciel tried to launch himself forwards, trying to catch her, but he found himself immobile, and Sebastian behind him grunted in pain.

"Hey, calm down," Sebastian said, and when Ciel turned to him, he saw that Sebastian, still blindfolded, was almost bent double, wincing in pain. "T-that hurt."

"What happened?" Ciel asked, running his eyes quickly over the doctor. Sebastian straightened slowly, letting out a slow, calming breath.

"I think we have to stay close together – otherwise we'll lose the connection that the hypnosis holds over our minds. I'm not sure how it works, but just don't go running off without telling me, first. Where are we?" Sebastian replied, turning his head this way and that. Ciel wondered just how much of the vision Sebastian could sense. "If you don't tell me anything that you see, I won't be much help to you in analysing it."

"We're at a party of some kind." Ciel said. "My parents are here. And so am I. And Elizabeth Midford. I must have known her before the treatment started – perhaps she was a childhood friend?"

Sebastian nodded. "Could be. Can you see your parents?"

"They're over by the – hey! Who's that?!" Ciel's eyes widened as he saw a tall, stately gentleman about Vincent's age strolling through the crowd. He seemed to be very popular with the women who were flocking around him like seagulls to a sandwich – but Ciel couldn't get a look at his face. "Sebastian, let's go."

Grabbing Sebastian's sleeve, Ciel began to make his way through the crowd, and Sebastian grumbled something behind him that he didn't quite catch – at first, he was too busy trying to avoid bumping into any of the party-goers. Then, he realized after what he thought was going to be a collision with someone – that he just moved right through them. Their were transparent to his touch; like reflections on a pond.

"They can't hear, see nor feel us," Ciel murmured, and Sebastian took a moment to catch his breath before speaking.

"We _are_ in a memory, after all, Ciel. Don't forget that you cannot be hurt here, nor can you die. We are within your mind, and as scary a prospect that is, if we can find some answers here then we might just be able to unlock the rest of your memories." He said, and Ciel paused, suddenly thinking back to the first time he had done this, with Drocell, and the things he had seen then. The thought made his stomach do a flip-flop, and he was suddenly questioning whether unlocking the rest of his memories would be such a good idea after all.

"Nothing bad has happened yet," he said softly. "At least, not that I can tell. This must be the place where I got the other memories from."

"What do you mean?" Sebastian asked.

"The two other memories I've seen so far," Ciel said. "Were of my parents while they were still in school. My father, with his friend, a German man who I focussed on to get me here, but I can't remember his name, and then it was my mother and father, right before my father proposed to my mother."

"So…how did we end up here?" Sebastian sounded confused, but Ciel wasn't looking at him as he looked around the party for the man he'd seen sashaying through the crowd. "From what you've said, this must be several years after you were born."

"Yes, I look like I was about six here," Ciel agreed.

"Which means this was about four years before the entire situation that went down at the Hospital," said Sebastian, and as he glanced up at the doctor, Ciel saw Sebastian looking somewhat thoughtful. "I wonder what the significance of this particular memory is."

Ciel found himself smiling grimly. "I think I know why. It seems to fit, right here. Like it was in a busy, noisy place like this that I was once told about the two other memories I've just seen. I bet if we find my mother and father, we'll see it for ourselves."

"Where was that man you thought you recognized?" Sebastian asked, and Ciel felt torn – he wanted to find the blonde haired man who he had thought he saw, but he also knew that this was important, too. Finding more out about his parents could lead to crucial information as to their current whereabouts. And if Vincent Phantomhive truly was going to be returning to the spotlight for the Steampunk convention in two weeks, Ciel would need all the information he could get to ensure that it really was his father. After all, all he'd been going on so far had been the falsified memories of his family from the drug treatment. And he was beginning to wonder if that really counted.

Tsking quietly to himself, he turned on his heel, taking up Sebastian's sleeve once more. "Come on – this way. I think I might know where to find them." He glanced up at the wall – yes, there was a clock up there, as if he had always known it would be up there. "It seems like it's the right time."

"Right time?"

They found themselves in a much quieter area of the manor house, away from the majority of the party guests and the music and clamour. The room they were now in was a small lounge-like alcove off the main area, dimly lit with low ambience lights glowing gently. Gathered around on the sofas and the lounge chairs, were a whole lot of people that Ciel recognized. The Aristocrats of Evil.

He saw about half a dozen men who he didn't recognize, though they must have been distinguished gentlemen judging to their appearance, were gathered, seemingly at ease in each others presence in the room. And right in the middle of them, was Vincent and Rachael, reclining on a sofa, laughing and talking with them as an elderly gentleman in a butlers outfit served them tea.

"T-Tanaka!" Ciel gasped, recognizing the wizened old face, but, of course, the man didn't not even bat an eyelid. He was Vincent's manservant – always had been.

"Who?" Sebastian asked, but Ciel shook his head.

"I'll tell you later." He said softly, taking a step closer, knowing full well that Sebastian didn't have the same skills as Drocell, and was only aware enough of the situation because of what Ciel told him. He couldn't see what Ciel was seeing – there wasn't the same shared vision that Drocell had seen alongside him. This time, however, as he stepped away from Sebastian, he felt a tug somewhere around his gut holding him back, and Sebastian stepped with him, and the pressure release, as if some sort of rope tied around their waists attached them. No wonder Sebastian had been in pain before – Ciel had been so blindly trying to move, he hadn't registered the pain and it had hit Sebastian like a whack in the guts with a baseball bat.

Turning his focus back to the scene before him, Ciel was shocked to see the younger version of himself run straight into the room without even a second glance at anyone else around him. He ran straight into his mothers arms, who scooped him up, laughing and smiling.

His father was telling the group something – a story. Every so often, they would chime in with laughter, and his mother would blush and laugh again, and little Ciel would sit and listen, curled up in his mothers lap. Ciel felt tears welling up in his eyes, and Sebastian's hand was on his shoulder.

"Are you okay? What's happening?"

"Butler," Ciel whispered.

"What?"

"I want to get out of here. Butler. Butler – _butler!_" Ciel found his voice rises to a yell, and suddenly, the entire scene disappeared before them, and all he could hear was Sebastian's soothing words, telling him to breathe, slowly and deeply, and when he opened his eyes, he was sitting cross legged on the double bed once more, Sebastian leaning towards him with steadying hands on his shoulders, his voice firm, and Ciel found himself back in reality.

"Why did you stop? What was wrong?" Sebastian asked, but Ciel shook his head.

"I…I couldn't bear to watch anymore. They all seemed so happy. I don't…" he trailed off, not meeting Sebastian's eyes. "I don't belong in that world of happiness."

Sebastian watched him a moment more, and then sighed and straightened up. "Very well. Then can you tell me more about that man you saw? The one you felt like you recognized?"

Chewing at his thumbnail anxiously, Ciel cast his eyes around the room, settling for staring out the window. He wasn't sure how to phrase the words right so Sebastian would understand. "I don't know. I know he must have…must have played a part in my hallucinations while I was under the affects of the drug. So I must have known him in reality."

"And if he was in that particular memory, then he had ties to your family somehow." Sebastian added, and Ciel nodded.

"Right. He had…blonde hair, I think. Long-ish, like, to his shoulders. Blue eyes."

"Blue eyes?"

"Yes, why?"

Sebastian took a moment, looking thoughtful, before he reached down over the side of the bed and pulled out a rectangular bag that held a machine that he had shown Ciel once or twice before – it was a laptop. A portable device that allowed him to find anything and everything on the vast technological and completely digital world that was known throughout the world as the internet these days. It was one of the only possessions that Sebastian had been adamant that always remain in their possession, for reasons that he had never discussed. Opening it, the screen buzzed into life and Ciel watched over his shoulder as Sebastian began to type in commands into a small search bar.

Moments later, there were reams and reams of data scrolling over the screen in front of their eyes, and, along with paragraphs upon paragraphs of text, there were images. Photographs, in full colour. Ciel was still secretly marvelling and admiring the wonders of the modern world. All he could have hoped for back in the nineteenth century was black and white photographs that took hours to develop. Sebastian scrolled down the screens page through lists upon lists of peoples profiles, before a small notification popped up.

"Damn," Sebastian muttered, and Ciel read the inscription in the pop up.

**Access Code Required.**

**Password:**

"What does that mean?" he asked, and Sebastian sighed.

"It means it wants some identification before allowing me to view any more profiles on this page. It's a measure of security. I provide the correct password, and it will allow me access to an unlimited search." He explained, before tentatively typing in a string of letters and numbers that showed up as asterisks on the screen where it was asking for a password. "Fingers crossed this works."

And then he hit the enter button. Ciel held his breath, and then, after a moment of loading, the pop up disappeared and there was another one in place; a greeting, welcoming the user into the search page and acknowledging that the password Sebastian had entered was correct. Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief, and Ciel let out the breath he'd been holding in.

"What did you type in?" he asked, and Sebastian shrugged.

"This might be the mainframe for the Hospital's staff register," he said, "But we have the person who designed it on our side."

Ciel's eyes widened. "Who is it?"

He blinked as Sebastian turned and gave him a look, a look that said he should be able to guess.

"Who, _Pluto_?"

"Very good," Sebastian nodded, turning back to the laptop. "He's an engineer and technical wizard, and since he simply ran away from the Hospital, they probably have no idea that he's against them, so they wouldn't have blocked or reset his access code. Simple."

Ciel's eyebrows knitted together. "Simply confusing," he muttered. "I have no idea wha- _hey!_ That's him!"

He was pointing over Sebastian's shoulder at the screen, and Sebastian stopped scrolling and examined the profile picture in question.

"Ah." He said softly. "Well. This is certainly interesting."

**-:-**

"_Aleister Chambers?!_" Bardroy exclaimed as Sebastian slapped down the page he'd printed out of the profile on the kitchen table. "The suspected human trafficker?!"

Mey-Rin and Finnian were both just as aghast as Bardroy was as they looked at the paper.

"Wow," breathed Finni. "I couldn't imagine that it was really true – he always seemed like such a nice man, too. Weird, but nice."

"Human trafficker?" Ciel repeated, stepping up next to Sebastian. "What exactly was his role as a member of the Hospital staff?"

"He was one of the conspirators that we all had suspicions about,"  
Mey-Rin said wearily, glancing at Finni. "Well, almost all of us. Finni wasn't there often enough to see him on a regular basis like we were, since Finni was just an intern. See, Aleister Druitt Chambers was often hanging around the Hospital, often for no good reason. He always took keen interest in the Subjects, and we had a bunch of theories as to what he really did."

"The most likely one, we came to believe, was that he was one of the wranglers who would bring in the varied range of subject material for the Keepers – in other words, he was one of the ones who would do the kidnapping of the children and deliver them to the Hospital." Bardroy continued, and Ciel felt a chill run up his spine. "In the end, we never got the chance to find out the truth, but after we hightailed it out of the Hospital and Sebastian stayed on, we did some digging around and found that Chambers is suspected for a whole bunch of human trafficking in and around the country. Mostly, it's all escorts and girls sold into sex slavery, but he disappeared off the social map after the last of the children disappeared and the experiments at the Hospital began."

"Of course," Sebastian said, clearing his throat. "He went underground, into the protection of the Hospital. That's why he was visiting so often."

Ciel shuddered, and then, he thought of something. "Wait a moment – then what was he doing in a place I have a memory of from four years before this whole thing happened?" he asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"Actually, it does," Sebastian nodded, sounding concerned. "You see, he was probably scouting out potential victims the entire time leading up to it. He must have seen what a strike of luck it was that you were in the Hospital as a patient at the time when the rash of child disappearances was in full swing, and quite probably got the nod of approval from the Hospital itself, and nabbed you."

Ciel turned to look at Sebastian. "That's right – you had nothing to do with my disappearance. I suppose that would explain it. But it just creeps me out, you know? The thought that that…that pervert was in my home, socializing with my family…eesh."

Mey-Rin stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his narrow shoulders. "It's okay, Ciel," she said gently. "We took the very best care of you, even if we can't truly forgive ourselves for the reasons why we did what we did. We never once let anyone near to you."

"That's right," Bardroy nodded with a grin. "We protected you the best we could. And Sebastian deserves the most credit for that – once or twice I think I remember Chambers paid special interest in your isolation tank, and Sebastian sent him runnin' with his tail between his legs, he did!"

The tension seemed to lessen in the atmosphere of the room, and they chuckled at Bardroy's words. Ciel, however, wanted to know more.

**-:-**

"And just where are you going?"

It was Sebastian's voice, and Ciel whirled around. Technically, he was supposed to be sleeping by Sebastian's side in the double bed. Night had drawn the day to a close and everyone had retired to their rooms, but once Ciel had been certain of Sebastian's even breathing indicating the doctor was asleep, Ciel had managed to once again slip from conscious thought and into the white-washed hallway of his mind. It wasn't so much hypnotising himself, he reasoned – he was remembering what Sebastian had said to hypnotise him and focussing on that so intently that he just happened to end up here. At least, to Sebastian, it would appear that he was sleeping, and he could wake himself if necessary.

Now, as he turned, he saw the Sebastian that he had seen in this hallway before – the one dressed in the finely tailored butlers outfit. The butler was smiling.

"W-where did you come from?" Ciel stammered. "And how…what are you? You're not the real Sebastian, are you?"

The butler Sebastian chuckled softly to himself and shook his head. "You're quite correct. In fact, I'm a part of your subconscious, Ciel. I'm the important part conjured by your imagination made to look like Sebastian because you know he is the one person you trust without question."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "So what are you doing here?"

That smirk. It was always there, as if mocking him. "Why, I've just come to deliver a warning, Young Master."

"Don't call me that!" Ciel spat. "You are not my butler and I'm not your master! That was a different me, and old me – that me doesn't exist anymore. I'm trying to forget that me and move on with my life now I know I'm truly living it."

The butler shook his head sadly, but his smile never faded.

"Ah, but in order to unlock all of your memories you must succumb, first, to the realization that everything you remember from your false reality is based on something that you experienced in real life. The false can only be false if it has a true counterpoint."

"Now you're just babbling," Ciel grumbled. "If you're not going to be serious, you can just leave. I need to concentrate if I'm going to get anywhere."

The Sebastian cocked his head, a look of mild surprise on his fine features. "Oh? And just how do you plan on getting there?"

"You always tell me to focus, don't you?" Ciel muttered as he turned away, facing the invisible barrier that he knew was directly in front of him once again. He could feel the hum of electricity through the air, and there was a slight radiating push of what felt like two magnets with their similar poles being pushed together, as if gently propelling him away from the barrier.

"Focus, yes, but this time you must be specific," the butler was suddenly directly behind him, leaning down and whispering in his ear. Ciel jumped as he felt his skin shiver – this Sebastian was definitely far creepier than the real one. He hated his imagination sometimes.

"Why is this time so important?" he asked, and the Sebastian behind him laughed softly.

"Because you have no one to guide you. This is a dangerous attempt, to do it by yourself. You know it, because I know it, and I am merely a part of you."

Ciel blinked at the confusing comment, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. But he couldn't back out now. He had to find out what was going on, he had to unlock more memories, and he felt that this was something far more private – something he couldn't allow anyone – not even Sebastian – to be privy to in the very least.

"Go away," he closed his eyes and raised his hands, pushing against the barrier. "You'll distract me."

There was that soft laugh again, accompanied no doubt by that same old smirk, and then, there was a brush of air past Ciel's ear, and he felt the presence of the butler vanish from behind him – he didn't dare open his eyes, though. He was focussing.

On something – what, though? He wanted to see…he saw…a group. Everyone he knew. Bardroy and Finnian and Mey-Rin and his parents and his father's manservant, Tanaka and Sebastian and – and right in the middle, amidst them all, he saw himself. Ciel screwed his eyes shut and heaved against the barrier, and then, he stumbled through.

He landed hard on a cold, smooth surface, and it was only then that he allowed himself to open his eyes. Looking down, he could see his reflection on the shining surface of the cold stone floor beneath him. He was once again wearing the hospital gown, his feet bare, and he felt a chill run down his spine. There was someone else here with him.

A booted foot stepped closer to him, and he blinked in surprise, before slowly looking up. The boot joined to a long, very slender leg, clad in a dark stocking beneath the boot. Then there was a pair of shorts, dark blue, and fitted with a fine jacket of the same colour, buttoned down the front with gold buttons. A white collar of a shirt showed beneath the thin bowtie that adorned the pale, slender neck, and Ciel swallowed hard as he let his gaze travel up to the face of the boy standing in front of him.

A black-gloved hand adorned with a gold ring on one thumb reached down towards him, palm up, offering to him.

"You should get up, before you catch a cold down there."

Ciel couldn't believe who he was staring at. The boy before him broke into a small smile.

"What, don't recognize yourself?"

Ciel Phantomhive realized with a very heavy feeling of fear settling into his stomach that he was staring at himself.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

This actually got written in one whole day because I've been checking FF.N on my phone like a schitzo so regularly it's a little alarming and the review counter hardly ever goes up =;A;= so I was like, SCREW IT, IM SUPPOSED TO BE DRAWING UP STORYBOARDS FOR MLP BUT FUCK IT I NEED TO UPDATE. So this got written entirely while I was listening to all the second season character songs. I love them.

_- Mercy_


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

This chapter's a bit shorter than usual, I'm afraid, but more will be heading your way soon, I promise! Here, things are revealed and secrets uncovered…what will Ciel find beyond his other self? READ ON, PEOPLES, I AIN'T GONNA SPOIL IT.

_- Mercy_

…

_I have nothing witty to write here =;A;=_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three:** Sense and Submersion

**-:-**

Ciel couldn't believe his eyes. The Ciel standing right in front of him blinked calmly back, a small smirk on his lips.

"Surprised?" he asked, and Ciel swallowed hard, trying not to show that he was trembling like an idiot.

"I-I…you're…?"

The Ciel nodded. "Indeed. Sadly, though, you really do seem to be forgetting your past life." The boy held up his hand to show off the rings on his fingers and thumb. "I would have thought you'd have held it together a little more. Don't you remember? You used to wear the ring with the Hope piece on it on your thumb. Because it was your fathers, and was too big for your slight little fingers when you inherited it. And the gold ring is on the wrong hand completely. You wore it on your right hand, not your left."

Ciel was shocked into speechlessness – the him standing before him was right. He had a brief flashback of memory, and saw himself wearing the blue diamond ring on his left thumb, the gold ring on his middle finger on his right hand.

"How do you know that…?"

The Ciel in front of him laughed haughtily. "You really haven't figured it out yet? I'm you, Ciel. Like the Sebastian that you saw in the hallway of your mind, I'm just another made up figment of your imagination. I'm technically here because I'm the sensible part of your subconscious. He was the instinct. You followed your instinct and ended up here. Now follow your sense."

The boy turned away from him and took a few steps, his tall boots clacking lightly over the marble floor. Ciel stumbled to his feet.

"W-wait!" he called, and the Other Ciel turned back to face him. "Where are you going?"

"This way," the boy shrugged and pointed towards a door that faded into existence a few metres behind him. "You've got so many options, but only those you're mind is open to acknowledge."

"What?" Ciel's brows furrowed, confused. "Where does that door lead?"

Other Ciel shrugged again, smirking. "To a memory, of course. Going by yourself would be crazy, so someone has to keep you company. Might as well be me."

Ciel chewed his lip uncertainly. He had no idea what to do. But he'd gotten himself into this, and he knew that if he let his fear get the better of him and he backed out now, then he'd be letting no one but himself down. And this was all about finding out answers for himself.

"Will the memory be of any use to me?" he asked, and Other Ciel seemed to consider it for a moment.

"Well, you've got a couple of options. Take this path," he nodded towards the door. "Or choose a different one. Like that one for example." He pointed down a long corridor that Ciel was startling to see. Like it had always been there, he just hadn't noticed it.

"And that one? What memory is that?"

Other Ciel rolled his eyes. "I can't give you all the answers. I don't have them. You've got to find out for yourself – all I can tell you is that neither of these memories are your own."

"What?!" Ciel's eyes widened. "How can I have someone else's memories? That's impossible!"

"Sounds pretty impossible, doesn't it?" Other Ciel nodded. "But think of them as residual memories. Accidentally left behind by those who you have been mentally or spiritually connected with. That narrows the field down for you a bit."

Ciel looked at his two options – beyond the door, he couldn't see anything. It was a simple, plain white door with a metal lever handle. Down the corridor, all he could see was shadow. At the very end, a long way away, he could see a small, shining light. Other Ciel waited patiently.

"Other people's memories…but who have I…?" it took a moment before it finally dawned on him. "Wait – Sebastian? Or…or Drocell Keinz?"

"Ten points for the kid in the lab gown," Other Ciel smiled, his gaze cool and calm. "Once you think about it, it's pretty easy to come up with the answers, huh?"

"But who is it?" Ciel asked, and Other Ciel chuckled softly.

"I can't tell you."

"What will I see?"

"I can't tell you."

"How can I trust you?"

"Because I _am_ you."

Ciel felt defeated. He didn't know what to do. If Sebastian had been here, he would have had a fair guess at which way to go. Taking a deep breath and pointing randomly, Ciel hoped he chose the memory that was Sebastian's.

"That way."

The corridor. Other Ciel nodded along as if he'd known that Ciel would always choose that way.

"Not a bad choice, if I might say so. Shall we?" he turned and began to lead the way down the corridor, and Ciel realized he had no option but to follow his guide down into the darkness.

After several long, uncertain minutes of shuffling through the pitch-black corridor, his fingers trailing along the wall to keep him from bumping into anything, Ciel and his companion finally reached the end, and with it, the light – a soft, greenish glow that illuminated a doorway set into the wall.

"Well?" Other Ciel stood aside and let Ciel peer into the gloom – and his stomach did flip-flops when his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting; there were no overhead lights in this room. The glow was coming from the display screens of just over a dozen low, low to the ground tanks. They hummed with a low whir, and there were cables and cords plugged into them, running long the lino floor and into several sets of power boards along the walls. They were exactly like Ciel had imagined – and he knew exactly what they were.

"Isolation tanks," Ciel breathed, stepping into the dark laboratory. "I know where we are…"

He moved among the tanks, his bare feet padding softly on the cold floor. He could see numbers labelling isolation chamber after isolation chamber.

"All thirteen of them, all stored in the same place," Other Ciel said sourly, following him in, a hand on his hip and a look of disgust on his face. "Sickens me to think just what this bastards had in mind for all of us."

Ciel reached the end of the tanks, which were lined up in rows of two down the room – there was one tank standing without a partner at the very end. The number on it made his throat tighten.

"This was…my tank…" he whispered, and Other Ciel nodded as he joined him by the chamber unit.

"Indeed. Oh look, this proves that this can't be your memory," he said, kneeling down by the tank and swiping a hand over a sensor on the top of the chamber. The lid of the unit suddenly became transparent, and Ciel's eyes widened as he saw himself lying, half submerged in a thick liquid, his hair floating lazily about his face, his limbs a sickly pale under the glow of the green light of the tank.

"Oh my God," he had to suck in several deep breathes before being sure that he wouldn't start throwing up, which was when Other Ciel stood.

"Want to know exactly who's memory this is?" he asked, and Ciel turned to look at him. "This is where the fun starts."

The boy in the regal, Victorian-era outfit stepped away from the rows of isolation chambers, and Ciel followed him. There was a door that led out of the laboratory at the other end, and there was the light of an overhead lamp laying like a welcoming carpet on the floor as they stepped into the doorway. Ciel stifled a gasp, realizing that he was staring straight into the eyes of Doctor Sebastian Michaelis.

"S-Sebastian!" he gaped. "This is his memory!"

"Not so fast," Other Ciel said, looking unimpressed as Ciel quickly hid out of sight of the doctor. "This is a memory – no one can hear or see you. You're just having the experience of being here. Plus, don't you think that if this was Sebastian's memory, you'd be seeing it more from his perspective?"

"Huh?" Ciel stepped back into the doorway, once again coming to face the scowl of Sebastian, and this time, he took in the rest of the room. Sebastian was standing, arms folded, against the far wall of the room, and between him and the door stood a large, white table, with a man and a woman in white laboratory coats standing around it. On the table, however, was a boy.

Ciel's eyes widened. The boy's back was to him, but he knew that the boy was rubbing his eyes, as if waking from a deep slumber. He too was in a hospital gown, and there was a towel slung around his shoulders. But it was the hair that gave it away. Blonde, damp hair that hung in bangs around the boys face.

"This…now way…"

"C-Claude?" the boy mumbled sleepily. "I had the funniest dream…"

Ciel's eyes flicked up to the man and woman standing around him, leaning down to examine the boy, checking his pulse, shining a small torch into his eyes, and Ciel realized with a jolt that he was looking at two people who he'd known as demons. Claude Faustus and Hannah Annafellows. Claude was barely acknowledging a thing the boy said.

"Mhmm," he murmured, his fingers holding the boys wrist as his bespectacled eyes counted the seconds on his wristwatch. "Dr Annafellows – the syringe."

The mauve-haired woman with the bored, almost blank expression reached for a syringe full of a blue-ish liquid that lay on a silver tray on a trolley next to the table, handing it over. Claude injected the dose of whatever it was into the boys arm, and the boy moaned a little in discomfort.

"Owwiiee…that huuuurt," he slurred his words, but he was in hardly any state to flinch away from the injection. "Claude, my eyes huuuurt…"

"Do they?" Claude's monotone voice sounded distracted, and he held up what looked like a nail filing board to the boys' lips. "Open your mouth."

The boy complied, and Claude shone a torch down his throat before stepping back and smiling, eyeing the boy as a hawk would eye its next meal. He whirled on his heel and addressed Sebastian.

"Well, Dr Michaelis? I give you…_ambrosia_."

Sebastian looked unimpressed. "The boy is still heavily drugged. He's in the worst of condition I've ever seen him in, too – his hair is slick and oily, his skin has several irritated spots from where you've been experimenting with the morphine patches, his eyes are goopy from what I can only assume is mild conjunctivitis, and you've allowed his nails to over grow, and they've consequently become either too soft in the submerging liquid or too brittle from the chemicals you're using." The dark haired doctor's eyes flicked quickly over the boy as he made each account, and Ciel watched as Claude flinched. "This child is hardly worthy of the title ambrosia."

"I don't see you trying anything more daring with your own Subject, Michaelis," Claude snarled, turning back to the boy, who looked up at his dreamily. "After all, _nothing _could possibly surpass your work of doing _nothing_ to him, am I not right?"

"Ciel is none of your business," Sebastian growled. "And I wanted no part in this little fiasco with your Subject, Claude. I only came along this evening because there are some tests I'm waiting on the results for in the lab."

"Hmph. Is that so?" Claude sneered, before sighing. "Well, I've certainly accomplished much more than you by now. After all, the boy is alive and awake, isn't he?"

Ciel swallowed as Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "He might be awake, but he's confused as hell. Look at him – he barely knows his left from right."

Indeed, the boy was examining his own hands slowly, as if he was not quite registering what he was seeing, flexing his fingers and gingerly clenching his fists.

"But the point _is_, he's awake. Proving the theory that it is indeed a possibility to properly awaken a Subject from the drug therapy." Claude said, and next to him, Hannah Annafellows was silently writing something down on a clipboard and paper. Claude pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I'd like to see you accomplish something like this, Michaelis."

That was the moment when Sebastian smiled – it was that same little smirk of a smile that he wore whenever he was about to do or say something clever, or when he knew more than anyone else in the room, and Ciel came to the sudden realization that Sebastian was probably formulating some sort of clever plan in his mind as Claude spoke.

"Well then," Sebastian said as he straightened up, brushing himself down – he was wearing a plain, dark grey long sleeved shirt over black jeans, and from a nearby chair he scooped up a long white doctors coat as he made his way to the door. "I think I'll have to accept your challenge someday."

Claude watched him leave, Hannah only momentarily glancing up at him, looking completely bored, before going back to her notes. Ciel felt a chill run down his spine as Sebastian stepped right through him, a rush of cold air like a sudden breeze whipping through his being as the memory of the doctor passed through. Other Ciel turned to him as the scene around them faded to black, only for several dim candles to flicker into life all around them – lighting up the area. They had returned to the first room with the marble floor where Ciel had met Other Ciel.

"Well?" Other Ciel said. "What do you think?"

Ciel felt ill – he was trembling almost uncontrollably now. He had known, for the entire time the memory had played out before him, exactly who the memory belonged to. But it was as if he hadn't been willing to admit it to himself. Now, back in the silence with no one but the boy claiming to be his common sense standing at his side, something in his mind turned over, and he knew he had to say it. Say the name, if only to make it real to himself.

"That…that memory…" he whispered. "It wasn't Sebastian's…it was…"

He looked up, and Other Ciel smiled softly, almost pityingly. A single word fell from the boy's lips, and suddenly, Ciel felt himself being sucked from the subconscious state – he closed his eyes for a second, and then, when he opened them again, he was lying with his head on the pillow of the double bed that he and Sebastian shared. The doctor was laying next to him, his back to Ciel, breathing deeply and evenly in restful sleep. Ciel rolled over to face the window – the moon was high and the clouds were few and far between across the sky.

"The memory," he murmured, still half dazed as if he himself had been in a deep slumber. "It belonged to Alois Trancy."

**-:-**

The next week and a half passed in a blur – Ciel didn't once try to submerge himself into his subconscious again, and he didn't allow Sebastian to try, either, always managing to avoid the subject. And he hadn't spoken a word to anyone, not even the doctor, about what he'd uncovered. He didn't know how it signified, or how it was possible that he had a memory from the blonde haired boy known as Alois, but he knew that he would find out sooner or later.

Everything in the days that flickered past seemed to pass in a haze, with Ciel not quite remembering everything that happened in a day because he was so deeply entrenched in his own thoughts that he just seemed to miss out on what was going on around him. Lau and Ran Mau had put them up in the townhouse for the entire time, telling them that they were welcome to stay for as long as possible. Madame Red had visited often, and Ciel and Sebastian had even made trips out of the Chinatown area to see her on occasion. On their brief trips out and about, Ciel had seen so many flyers and posters advertising the upcoming convention, and every time he saw one, he felt a handful of nervous tingles racing up and down his spine. They had all been to the Undertaker's shop several times, getting fitted for their outfits – Ciel and Sebastian, as it turned out, would have two costumes; one for the convention itself and the cosplay competition, and one for the Midnight Ball, an event that was supposedly one of the biggest main attractions of the convention. Against Ciel's will, they had finally agreed on a design for his second outfit – because he had no female partner to accompany him to the ball, and because of his slight frame, he would be masquerading as a girl. In a gown.

Ciel had commandeered the Undertaker's design of it, feeling that, if he had to wear such a thing, he would at least go in something he found familiar. It took the Undertaker several days to complete the beautiful outfit, but once it was done, Ciel was pleased with the results. It was an almost exact replica of the dress that he had donned on more than one occasion in his past life, the light rosy pink accentuated with the ruffling down the skirts, paler roses adorning the bodice and the hat that went with it, falling perfectly in place over his right eye. The Undertaker had snorted and giggled at the design of the dress, at the colour and at the blush Ciel had felt colour his cheeks as he looked himself over at the fitting of the completed gown, but he asked no questions and Ciel gave him no answers. It was a good contrast against the other outfit he was to wear – and besides, he would only be in the dress for one evening. No one would draw any connections between the extraordinarily tailored outfit that was of the richest fabrics and silks and decorations and the beautiful dress fit for a princess. At least, Ciel hoped not. It had worked well enough as a disguise in his past life.

As the day before the convention drew closer, everyone seemed to be in a buzz; getting the last touches complete on their costumes, Bardroy and Sebastian managing to obtain a large enough vehicle to hold the costumes plus everyone, Finnian making accommodation arrangements over the phone, Madame Red also dropping by to wish them the best of them, and that she would see them in Manchester in a few days. On the morning before the convention, the air was chilly in the post-dawn light as they all piled into the large people-mover of a car, Bardroy at the wheel. Ciel felt a small knot in his stomach as he watched the townhouse disappear down the street behind them. The ride to Manchester was going to be a long, three or so hour trip by car, and he was apprehensive enough already about what he mind find when they got to the convention.

The trip suddenly seemed like it was going to be a lot longer.

**-:-**

"This is dangerous and stupid."

"Calm down and don't be ridiculous," Diedrich said gruffly, smoothly steering the sleek sedan around the bend in the street, blending with the traffic. Abberline, who was sitting in the seat next to him, looked anything but calm. He had been edgy ever since the German companion of Vincent Phantomhive had approached him about a week ago just outside the gates of Scotland Yard. This was a strictly secret mission, and not even Vincent knew about it.

"We're going in too deep without enough information," Abberline said, and Diedrich rolled his eyes.

"What do you think Vince and I have been doin' most of our careers?" he replied, but if anything that only seemed to make Abberline even more uncomfortable.

"Why haven't you told Mister Phantomhive about this?"

"There's a couple of things I don't tell him about, kid."

"I'm not a kid – "

"Yeah you are."

Abberline bit back the remark that he had on his tongue, instead opting to look out the window of the car as they coasted through the built up metropolitan area of Manchester. They had been driving for around an hour through the city, with huge, stately old buildings rearing up into the skyline, contrasted by the newer, modern buildings with huge glass windows, steel framework and fluorescent lights illuminating them. It was early evening, the cool, mid autumn air bringing a relief from the warmer temperatures of the day, and the darkening sky was starting to show a sprinkle of stars across its vast expanse. Abberline cast his eyes up to the stars, and hoped he wasn't biting off more than he could chew by going along with Diedrich's plan.

Which wasn't a great plan in the first place. Infiltrate the convention? Fine. They had acquired a couple of outfits that made them look a little more historic than their normal clothes; mostly the outfits consisted of trenchcoats, long dark boots, white, collared shirts and an assortment of neck wear – ties, bow ties, and even a few cravats. Abberline was surprised that the German even knew what a cravat was. Next step of the plan; attempt to locate the main ringleader, Joker. That would not be so fine. Abberline had read the few documents they had at the Yard on the Noah's Arc Convention Troupe – and had heard many rumours about them, as well. Most of them unpleasant ones that spoke of most of the main convention troupe performers being retired assassins.

Next step: attempt to find out whether or not the Phantomhive boy was in any way associated with the convention. And Abberline had to hand it to Diedrich – the man certainly knew how to get attention. He'd leaked a made up rumour to the press about a week and a half ago that the infamous Vincent Phantomhive would be returning to the stage light of the Steampunk Convention this year, and had even pulled strings with the Funtom Company itself behind Vincent's back to have them agree to it. This was where Abberline came in.

He wasn't just there as an inspector from the Yard. He was going to be going in undercover. While Diedrich got to mingle with the crowds, Abberline was going to be playing a different role altogether – one that, as Diedrich had cheerfully told him, could quite possibly get him kidnapped or, worse, killed. The German hadn't let his smile waver one bit as he'd told Abberline this, and the only reason Abberline had agreed to do this behind the backs of everyone they were currently working together with was because Diedrich happened to have had a rather large combat knife held at his throat while he was requesting Abberline's assistance.

Abberline swallowed at the memory, and glanced at the German, who was focussed on the road in front of him. With a sigh, he just _knew_ that something was going to go wrong.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

And finally we get to the convention arc! Thank you for reading and for your endless patience everyone, we shall soon be getting to the good action-y fightsy stuff! Stay tuned!

_- Mercy_


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

I hope you all know the effort I go to to bring you this story. I have NEVER, EVER written a sword-fight scene in my entire LIFE, so this chapter is really lame because of a fight scene but who the hell cares Ciel gets in on the action this time instead of running away or cowering behind Sebastian. OOPSIES, spoilers~!

(Shuttup Charles.)

SO. Welcome to the Steampunk Convention, everyone!

Here you will meet some old faces, new faces, and even some ENTIRELY unexpected ones. But that's all up to you guys to go ahead and read ;) I'm not going to tell you everything that happens. I've already dropped a major spoiler in the above comment about the fight scene. YEAAAAH CIEL GO MAN GO WOOOO~

By the way, who's excited to see the rebirth of Most Beautiful Death? *waves arm wildly* OOO OOO ME MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME! *ahem* anyway, it's currently being performed in Tokyo at the moment I believe, and then I think they'll be heading out to Osaka for more performances (or it could be the other way round). I've already got a hilarious picture of Nagaoka Takuya (who was the original William T Spears in the first stage production of Most Beautiful Death) heading in backstage after the first performance to catch up with Yuya Matsushita (Sebastian, yo'!), and he even got a shot of himself with the new guy playing our favourite over-time Shinigami, Will – the guy's name is Teruma, and god DAMN I hope he lives up to the awesomosity that Takuya was in the first performance!

Well. He can but try, I suppose. I haven't seen the rebirth yet, I'll wait til it hits youtube, but I don't personally think anyone can top Takuya's performance. But that's my opinion (I have many of those).

**WHAT ARE YOU ALL STILL DOING HERE. WHY AREN'T YOU READING?! SCROLL DOWN YOU SILLY BILLIES, THEN DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW AFTERWARDS!**

_- Mercy_

…

_**Guy to a friend of mine**__: so, are you a boy or a girl?_

_**My friend**__: neither._

_**Guy**__: well, what were you born as?_

_**My friend**__: *leans in and whispers* fabulous._

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four:** Steam Punkers

**-:-**

The whole thing about a convention, Ciel very quickly came to realize, that it was supposed to be a very busy, very crowded, and very, very noisy. There were people yelling, running, meeting up with friends, and waving around pretend weapons that looked like they belonged in one of those ultra fantasy games that he'd once seen Finnian playing on a handheld device that Finni had called a "PSP", whatever that was.

And another thing – everyone looked just as old fashioned and completely lost in time as they did. If there was one thing that he was happy about being confined in this cramped, shuffling line of people winding its way towards the front counter of the Manchester Convention Centre in order to pay for their passes and be granted access to the con, it was that they all blended in with the crowd. For once in his new life, Ciel didn't feel out of place at all. At his side, there was Bardroy dressed in the whites of a chef, Mey-Rin in the blue and white frock and skirts, her outfit completed by the knee-length brown lace up boots on her feet. Finni was fidgeting excitedly behind them, in the white shirt and checkered shorts and gumboots of a gardener, his own outfit made complete by the straw hat hanging at the back of his neck, secured by a drawstring. On his other side, Sebastian, dressed in the finest of black suits of a butler, standing with such a straight-backed, rigid stance that Ciel would never have imagined that merely a few weeks ago, he had been shot in the shoulder on a daring rescue attempt.

Ciel smiled to himself, and checked himself over once again – that morning, Sebastian had helped him into his own costume, and Ciel had almost let himself get lost in the moment of the feeling that his butler was dressing him, buttoning his shirts, arranging his lapels properly, even lacing up the knee-high boots for him when he got the laces all twisted up by accident. His outfit was of a deep, royal blue, lined with silvery plaids and golden buttons down the front of his jacket, two black roses clipped to his right lapel, small, silver chains looping around them, the ends hanging loose from the roses as the other end was clipped across his breast to his left breast pocket. The outfit was topped off by the hat, which looked almost like a tricorn hat, and a large blue-ish white feather fluffed over the back. His eye was adorned with a silken black eye patch, and the entire outfit was decorated with subtle beading of little cog shaped buttons.

He glanced around at the group – he knew they looked amazing, and he was fairly certain that they knew that they looked amazing. The Undertaker had done an astounding job, and Ciel reminded himself to find and thank the kooky man once the convention was over. Casting his eyes around the large, gathered crowd of excitedly chattering convention-goers, he also reminded himself why they were here; to try and find out if Vincent Phantomhive really was here.

There was idle chatter amongst themselves while they waited in line, slowly shuffling along as more and more people were moving away from the counters to make their way into the convention. Soon enough, they were at the counters themselves – Sebastian cheerfully paid for their passes with a sweet smile, and also handed over the story sheet for their cosplay competition enrolment. The girl behind the counter passed back a handful of thin strips of paper before telling them to enjoy the convention.

They were ushered out of the line and into the open area of the foyer, where Sebastian handed out the strips of paper, and everyone began to remove a small tag of plastic from the ends of the strips. Ciel turned the gold-sided paper over in his hands, unsure of what to do.

"It's a wrist band," Mey-Rin explained, and showed Ciel how she was wrapping her own band around her wrist before securing it with the sticky end that had been under the tag. "It basically allows the convention staff to let you through certain areas – if you don't wear it, they won't let you in because it doesn't look like you've paid to be here."

"Like that?" Ciel pointed as Mey-Rin helped him with his own wrist band towards a makeshift gate that stood at the other end of a foyer that led to another area, and Sebastian nodded.

"That's about right." he said, just as a girl wearing a lacy black mini-dress and big, platform black shoes decorated with studs came up to their group, several streaks of colour flashing through her black hair and a clipboard in her hand.

"Uh, 'cuse me guys?" she asked, and everyone seemed to tense. Sebastian smiled sweetly down at her from his taller height, but Ciel could tell that he was ready to turn and make them all run at any moments notice.

"Yes, how might we help you, miss?" he asked, his flawless English accent sending a pang of nostalgia through Ciel as he thought just how well the butler's attire suited Sebastian.

"You guys are enterin' in the comp, yeah?" the girl asked, and Sebastian nodded.

"That's right. We were given – " he checked the piece of paper that he'd been handed at the counter. "Group contestants number twenty-six."

"Yeah, and you're under the name Phantom Butler, yeah?"

"That's right." Sebastian nodded again. The girl ticked something off on the clipboard she was carrying before looking back up at the group.

"Cool. Look, coz of all the other competitors as well, we've had to put several of today's contestants on tomorrow, otherwise it'd all be too packed into today's competition, so you guys are on tomorrow instead, kay?" she said, and Sebastian exchanged glances with everyone in the group, his eyes coming to rest on Ciel. Ciel nodded silently, and the dark haired doctor turned back to the girl with a honey sweet smile.

"That suits us just fine, thank you," he said, and she finally seemed to take notice of the handsome man who she'd been addressing the entire time, and a blush rose in her cheeks as she blinked.

"Oh – ah, yeah – cool…" she murmured. "I, uh – gotta get back now…"

With that, the girl whirled on her big, clunky boots and tottered back towards the reception station. Ciel rolled his eyes. He'd always known Sebastian's looks could have every woman from here to China swooning at his feet the second the man smiled, but that had been in the fake reality. Now, it was almost comical to see it, and Sebastian turned back to them as if nothing had happened. Before he could say anything, however, a voice of an old-fashioned loudspeaker shaped like a gramophone began to blare, asking everyone who had been admitted if they would please make their way to the auditorium for the opening ceremony, which would begin in ten minutes.

Ciel could see many people still stuck in the long lines waiting to pay their entrance fee groaning and sighing as he and the others passed them – but there were already huge crowds of people heading in the general direction that he guessed was the auditorium, and he and the others blended in with the crowds as they were all ushered into a huge theatre that sloped downwards towards the stage. Sebastian guided the group away from the main mob so that they could find some seats that would allow all five of them to sit next to one another. Once seated, Ciel cast his eyes around the auditorium, the chatter and excited yells of the other convention-goers all a buzz to his ears, the lights that illuminated the stage from the railing above the stand changing to a multitude of colours as they swung around, over the stage and out over the audience. His face was bathed in the blue light of one light for a brief moment, and Ciel found himself smiling – the nerves and tension he had been feeling all morning leading up to this made him momentarily forget what he was doing here. He was just taking everything in – the buzz of the excited crowds, the yells across the auditorium, the music that was playing over the speaker system; everything seemed so familiar yet so unreal, so futuristic to him, that he realized that this was all just a nostalgic call back for many people, people who wanted to escape from their modern day lives, back to when life was simpler, but the mechanics of life were interesting and complicated. That was what Steampunk was, he realized. Innovation in a world of unique people looking towards a future. The art of Steampunk was a celebration of a time when new technologies were produced, not by large corporations, but by talented and independent artisans and inventors. Ideas of Victorian science fiction.

The crowd quietened as the overhead lights dimmed down even lower, the stage lights now the only source of luminosity in the auditorium, and the music faded to silence. The stage lights flicked off, and Ciel could hear the murmurs of the people in the seats around him. Then, suddenly, one stage light lit up the centre of the stage, and his breath caught in his throat. Standing in the centre of the stage with a violin cocked on his shoulder, was the ringleader of the Noah's Arc Convention Troupe.

"Joker," Ciel breathed, and the young man with the prosthetic skeleton right hand raised the violin's bow to rest upon his instrument.

"I'd like to begin this years convention," he said, his voice magnified by a small microphone hooked over his ear and sitting just in front of his mouth. "With a song. We 'ere at the Noah's Arc Troupe wish to welcome ye all here today with a performance. Some say we shoulda been better off as a circus," a titter of chuckles ran through the crowd, and Ciel could see that there were still more people cramming into the auditorium. "But here we are."

With that, he began to play. A cello somewhere offstage struck up as well in accompaniment, and then, a string of people began to parade out from the side of the stage and into the spotlight as more stage lights came on. Ciel gaped as he recognized every single one of them – there was the pair of acrobatic twins, Peter and Wendy, back flipping and doing cartwheels around the stage, locking arms with each other to do combined tricks that had the audience gasping and wowing in excitement at the fearless duo. Then the giant man they called Jumbo lumbered on stage, juggling seven balls, and another performer danced up behind him; Ciel couldn't believe his eyes – the girl he'd known as Freckle Face, her real name Doll, in the very same rose-decorated white outfit that he remembered her in, pirouetting and dancing her way around Jumbo, and the two of them moved almost in sync, Jumbo never once dropping a single ball and Doll never once losing the beat of the music that Joker's violin sang.

From the other side of the stage, another pair came on; these two also had familiar faces – they were Beast and her younger brother Dagger, Beast cart wheeling onto stage whilst her brother ducked and dodged around her, juggling a set of throwing knives. Several times, Ciel held his breath, thinking surely Dagger would trip, drop one of his knives, or Beast would knock into him and cause them both to falter, but they never once collided. He was sure everyone else in the audience were holding their breath, too – he glanced sideways and saw Finni and Mey-Rin both on the edges of their seats, agape at the marvellous display before them.

Slowly, as each pair of performers circled Joker, they drew closer, went lower, down on one knee as the music continued to flow, and then, without missing a single beat, lifted Joker up and into the air, Wendy and Beast expertly climbing the shoulders of Jumbo and Dagger, before reaching down to lift Doll up high above their heads, where, as the music came to a climax and a finale, Joker stopped his playing to grab Doll's hand, and she was hefted up to be seated upon his shoulder. The pyramid of fearless performers waited for the last of the background music to finish, before striking a pose in unison, and the audience was suddenly all on its feet, people whistling and screaming and applauding louder than anything Ciel could have ever imagined – and he found himself, along with Sebastian, Finni, Mey-Rin and Bardroy, on their feet as well, clapping so much his hands went numb. By the time it had all settled down, he was almost certain that his hearing had been permanently damaged. He'd have to ask Sebastian about it later.

As the pyramid disassembled, Wendy back flipping down and Beast being lowered down gracefully by her brother and Jumbo, Joker setting Doll down at his side as he was lowered back down the stage himself, the audience quieted enough for Joker to speak again.

"I'm so very glad that you enjoyed our performance," he said, taking a breath as Peter offered to take his violin, and he relinquished his grip on the instrument. "And have I mentioned how humbled I am to see so _many_ of you all out there today?!" he waved his free hand around. "I mean, from all the way up there, I think I could just about everyone up there in the back row!"

A cheer went up from the back of the auditorium, and Ciel glanced over his shoulder – they were barely ten rows away from the very back of the auditorium.

"Anyhow, anyway, anywho!" Joker reclaimed quiet in the theatre again. "I have to hand it to you all – this convention wouldn't be possible without everyone's participation; from the staff and the organisers," he made grand gestures to the group still standing around him, and they all gave the audience a big smile and a wave. "To all the invited guests, those who've hired out stalls downstairs in the Huxters, and every single one of you out there today who've come along to enjoy what we've put on for you. And I suppose I should mention our sponsors, too – they're pretty important, right?" he joked and a titter of laughter went around the audience, but Ciel found himself leaning forward in his seat a bit. He glanced at Sebastian, and saw that the doctor was watching him, too.

"Our sponsors for this convention," Joker was saying. "We owe a hell of a lot to. From the fandom groups who gather every Tuesday afternoon to the big-name companies – without this lot, we wouldn't have the funds to be able to do what we do, year after year. And this year in particular, we have a very special return to applaud – he's not here right now, but everyone give it up for the return of _Vincent Phantomhive!_"

Once again, the crowd went wild, and Ciel slumped back into his seat. So the sponsors wouldn't be asked to come on stage. Feeling a little bitter about that, he was woken from his reverie by Sebastian's hand on his arm.

"We'll see him in the competition, don't worry," he said softly as the audience calmed. "We can watch it today, even if we're participating tomorrow."

"We better get good seats," Ciel grumbled, and he could have sworn he heard Sebastian chuckle before Joker began to talk again.

"We'll give Mister Phantomhive the proper welcome back that he truly deserves at the beginning of the cosplay competition, which he has kindly agreed to host! In the meantime, we've got all manner of things for you steam-punkers to sink your lovely fangs into! We've got guests from…"

His voice faded into the background a little, and Ciel found himself not quite listening as the MC continued to list the schedule of festivities, panels with special guests, the Huxter area on the floor below the ground floor. It all just sort of washed over him, and all he could think about was where he might be able to get close to his father before or after the competition. He didn't think it smart to reveal himself right away, which was why his costume made him seem as unlike himself as possible. It was just in case this man was an impostor claiming to be Vincent Phantomhive. He sighed, and watched the group on stage without really listening, and waited for the entrance ceremony to be over.

**-:-**

The welcoming ceremony lasted another ten minutes or so, with the introductions of special guests and so forth being announced, before Joker and the group on stage bid everyone farewell and wished them all a happy next two days of the convention. The entire audience all seemed to be trying to get out of the auditorium at once, eager to go and explore the rest of the convention centre, and Ciel found himself squished up against several other people rather uncomfortably. He'd been separated from Sebastian and the others, but he hadn't been able to cry out over the hustle and bustle, and he wondered if Sebastian had even noticed he was gone. Unable to go back against the flow of people pouring out of the auditorium, however, Ciel took to waiting just outside the auditorium doors while everyone else continued to file pass him before dispersing.

"Ciel!"

He turned his attention away from the photography booth that had caught his eye, and saw Sebastian and the others finally able to shuffle out of the auditorium and catch up to him. Sebastian quickly checked him over to make sure he was okay, before taking a deep breath to pacify himself.

"Shall we, then?" Sebastian asked, but before anyone could reply, there was a sing-song voice from behind them.

"Oh _yeah_, lets~!" they all whirled and Ciel's blood ran cold, and he felt himself freeze. Everyone around him was tensing as well, and he heard Mey-Rin stifle a small gasp as they saw the two who were now approaching them. One of them was Bardroy's height and stature, with fair blonde hair, and his smaller counterpart looked about Finnian's age, his even fairer hair chopped around his face, a long ponytail swaying behind him as he pranced up. Their white outfits gave Ciel a flashback of the Ash, the Queen's butler, but then he realized who he was looking at, all decked out in their finery.

"The Double Charles'," he murmured, and Charles Grey smiled at them playfully, his older counterpart Charles Phipps keeping his expression stoic.

"Oooh, looky!" Grey cooed. "The test subject knows who we are, Phipps~! Isn't that exciting?"

"The _hell_ are you doing here?!" Sebastian growled, low and snarling, his upper lip curling in disgust. "I didn't take you two cowards as _party goers._"

"You're from the Hospital…" Ciel whispered, just as Grey pulled out a fencing foil from the scabbard at his waist. By the looks of their outfits, they too had gone all out in getting costumes that would allow them to remain inconspicuous. Ciel guessed that they had been planning on being at the convention, searching, for a lot longer than this.

Grey smirked lightly, swishing the foil back and forth as Phipps cleared his throat.

"I would have thought it was obvious," he said, his voice hard, and Ciel felt Mey-Rin's hand protectively on his arm, and Finnian stepped in front of him. "We're here for the retrieval of Subject Thirteen, real name: Ciel Phantomhive. Step aside, Doctor Michaelis, and you will not be hurt."

"Over my dead body," Sebastian snarled.

"Well, it's your funeral," Grey giggled, before launching himself at Sebastian, who easily dodged the lunge, and before Ciel realized what he was doing, he was drawing the sword that the Undertaker had adorned his own costume with, and he stepped forward to meet Grey head-on, countering Grey's attack with a swift block. He used the moment of surprise to heave Grey back, and the younger of their two attackers stumbled back, his eyes wide, before a grin lit up his face.

"You will not touch him," Ciel found the words passing his lips before he could stop them, and he heard Sebastian call out to him as he stepped forward again, just as Grey was readying for another attack. He could see a crowd beginning to gather around them – convention goers murmuring things, wondering if this was actually an intention skit the group was performing.

"Aw, you're so cute when you're angry," Grey laughed as he parried and defended from Ciel's rain of blows. It was as if his hand was guided; Ciel had no idea what he was doing – perhaps he was remembering all the fencing lessons he'd once thought he'd had with Sebastian, in his Other Life, or perhaps he had really been enrolled in some sort of fencing class. Either way, he didn't dare stop to give Grey the opportunity to retaliate.

The crowd gasped and scooted out of their way as they circled each other, sidestepping wild swings and the sharp thrusts of each other's blades. Ciel heard a voice call out to him – it was Phipps – as Grey scooted back out of the way of Ciel's sword to take a breath. Ciel looked up, back to where the group was standing, and a collective gasp went up from the crowd. Someone was yelling for security. Other people were cheering – most of them still thought this was a performance. But Ciel saw something that made his stomach drop.

Phipps had Sebastian, one arm hooked around Sebastian's neck, and was holding him there with an old fashioned revolver aimed at his head. Ciel saw the other try to get close to save Sebastian, but Phipps turned the gun on them, warding them off.

"Give yourself up, Thirteen." Phipps was calling to him. "We don't want to make a scene."

Grey, however, didn't seem to be over fighting just yet, and his next attack threw Ciel off guard, and Ciel's arm went weak as he panicked from the sudden attack.

"_Yes_, actually!" Grey was cackling. "_Yes we do~!_" his mad rash of attacks forced Ciel to take several staggered steps back, and it was all Ciel could do to block the moves; there was no way, no space for him to step forward and retaliate. If he gave up now, he would be taken back to the Hospital. Sebastian and the others…they might be killed. He would never see his parents again. Their faces flashed through his mind, and in that moment, Grey managed to flip Ciel's sword out of his hand, and the slender sword went flying blade-over-handle through the air, landing with a _thunk _in the carpeted floor mere inches away from another convention goer, who yelped and scuttled away. The force of Grey's move had sent Ciel tumbling back, and he landed on the ground, completely exposed as his attacker stepped up, fencing foil whipping up suddenly to catch Ciel under the chin, holding his face up.

"Aw, looks like the little kid can't hold his own after all. Ah well," Grey smirked, before pulling the foil back to strike Ciel once more. "See ya next time, champ."

Ciel scrunched his eyes shut ad braced himself for the hit that would undoubtedly be on a pressure point somewhere on his body – a hit that would, no doubt, knock him unconscious. He had no other choice but to accept his fate. He heard the whistle of the fencing foil as it arched through the air, but there was a _clang_ of fencing foil meeting metal, and he opened his eyes, only to have a curtain of red hair fluttering down across the back of a white-shirted man who had leapt down in front of him.

"Grell!" Ciel scrambled back just as Grell glanced over his shoulder and gave him a smile.

"Fashionably late, as always," the agent winked at him, and Ciel saw that he had a hand gun drawn and held up to block Grey's swing. The fair-haired Charles Grey's face contorted in anger.

"Noo!" he cried. "Get out of the _waaay_~!" he made several wild, raging swings at Grell, who ducked and dodged them as easily as if he'd been taking a casual step out of the way of a crawling toddler, and as he let Grey's momentum swing the young man forward, Grell brought the butt of the handgun down on Grey's shoulder. Grey's eyes went wide, and he collapsed, unconscious. Ciel looked up at Grell, who spun the handgun around before tucking it back into its holster at his hip, and the redhead grinned at him.

"Pressure point," he indicated to the spot where he'd struck Charles on the shoulder, and Ciel nodded, still agape. The two of them looked over to where Phipps had Sebastian. The other Charles' was shocked to see his younger counterpart defeated so easily at the hands of the redheaded Dispatch agent, and Sebastian took the moment to haul the taller of the two Charles' over his head, slamming Phipps down to the floor. Phipps cried out in pain before rolling away, free from Sebastian's grip.

Ciel and Grell dashed back to the group, and Sebastian turned just in time to catch Ciel in a flying hug – Ciel clung onto the doctor as though his life depended on it, breathing hard, his heart hammering in his chest. He had been _this close _to losing everything.

"It's okay," Sebastian was murmuring into his hair, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "You're okay. You did so well. It's okay now, shh."

The others all gathered around to hug Ciel as well, just as Grell coughed into his hand.

"Um, Bassy? We have an audience." He motioned around to the stunned looks on everyone elses faces. Ciel could see Phipps back on his feet, but the man was retreating – he had Grey hoisted up and over one shoulder, and the two were making their retreat out the foyer doors. No one really seemed to notice them go, because all eyes were on the young boy with his butler and gathered servants. He glanced up at Sebastian, who looked just as lost for words as the others of their little group. Ciel cleared his throat, and stepped out of the group hug and gave the crowd a big smile.

"Uh – thank you, everyone! Thank you for watching that performance!" he called out as cheerily as he could, just as he could see a couple of security guards heading their way, accompanied by several of the convention staff. "We hope you all enjoyed that, and, uh, the rest of the convention too! Bye now!" he waved cheerfully to the crowd, which slowly began to disperse and break up, everyone murmuring and mumbling to each other.

Sebastian stepped up to his shoulder. "Nicely done, _young master,_" he said, before giving Ciel a nudge. "But we have to get out of the spotlight before we get nabbed by those security guards."

The group all merged in with the rest of the crowd, and after a few minutes of mingling and side-stepping the staff and security guards, they all regrouped back up by a small café once everything had calmed down.

"So were they really from the Hospital?" Ciel asked as he sipped the hot chocolate that Sebastian handed him, and Sebastian nodded, but Grell was the one to speak.

"Sadly, yes – they're a couple of thugs for the Directors, really. They do all the dirty work, making the Directors look good." The redhead explained.

"Indeed," Sebastian nodded. "I've only met them a few times myself, but they're quite the unsavoury pair." He had retrieved Ciel's sword, which he eyed now that it was safely back in the scabbard at Ciel's side. "And you've got quite the skill with that, Ciel. Do you remember where you learnt to fight like that?"

Ciel felt his cheeks colour a little. "Not really. As I was fighting, I wasn't really registering what I was doing. It just happened. I can't remember where I learnt to fight with a sword. Maybe I took fencing lessons when I was younger or something."

"Whatever the case, that was amazing," Finni breathed, and Bardroy nodded.

"Yeah, and now its over, we can get back to the task at hand." He said, stubbing out a cigarette in a nearby complimentary ash tray. "I'm just glad we're all here and accounted for – dunno what we would've done if they'd managed to capture you."

"Oh, like I'd _ever _let that happen while Bassy and I have this whole deal going," Grell smirked, leaning affectionately on Sebastian, who seemed untroubled by the flirty double agent, and instead, he smiled too. But Finnian spoke before he could.

"Except we're not all together," the blonde boy said sadly. "Plu-Plu's not here."

Everyone's faces fell, but Ciel saw that Grell had a mischievous glint in his eye – a moment later, a familiar voice spoke from the edge of the café booth.

"Whaddaya mean, I'm not here?" They all whirled around to see Pluto standing there, thumbs looped through his jeans pockets, cocky smile on his face. The reunion was a happy one, with Finni and Bard and Mey-Rin all throwing themselves at Pluto, cries of happiness earning them some odd looks from some of the passers-by. Ciel smiled as Pluto managed to shake the others off, and stepped up to Sebastian, who reached out for the silver haired young man, and the two shared a brief, manly hug before Pluto straightened and patted Ciel on the head. "I mean, I couldn't just leave you guys to have all the fun now, could I?"

"How did you get all the way to Manchester?" Ciel asked, and Pluto jerked a thumb at Grell.

"Got a lift – turns out Sutcliff is heading up the Dispatch security detail that's gonna be here at the convention. But we slowed down the security vans for a bit." He gave them all a grin, one that Grell shared. "Turns out that them vans aren't too good at movin' with a couple of slashed tyres."

"You _slashed their tyres_?" Sebastian asked, sounding surprised. "That's an obvious give-away that we're trying to stall them from getting here."

Pluto held up his hands in defence. "Hey, no sweat, boss – " he winked at Grell, who chuckled softly. "We paid a couple of kids to do it."

"Those kids sure are something when you give them a large knife and tell them to go have fun with all the cars on the street," Grell chortled, and Sebastian looked at him in disbelief. Ciel couldn't suppress his own chuckle – he realized the whole situation was, in reality, quite funny. Bardroy and Mey-Rin were smothering laughs, too, and Finni had a hand clapped over his mouth in an effort to not laugh. Soon, without really meaning to, they were all laughing, and Pluto dragged them all into a big group hug, and, even though he was squished somewhere between Grell's hipbone, Mey-Rin's chest and Sebastian's wiry arms, Ciel couldn't help but laugh along too. He felt safe, much safer than he had, he realized, without Pluto being there to act like a guard dog. Now, now that they were all together again, he felt that much more optimistic about finding what he was looking for here.

He couldn't wait to get started.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

I'd like to dedicate the entirety of this chapter with heart and soul to the one and only **The****TimeTravelingAuthor**, who, after reviewing this yesterday, refuelled my zest to get the rest of this goddamn chapter written. I knew Sunny previously as **Sunleaf13**, an avid reader and follower of one of my other stories, _**My Autistic Brother**_. They've been through a bit to get back on this site, and I really wanted to thank you, Sunny, coz you're awesome and I think you're superfantastical, except I never actually thought you'd have been into Black Butler ^^" oh wells! I'm glad you're enjoying the story, which is why you got the sword-fighting scene between Ciel and Grey!

You just sit there and stay shiny. You beautiful Sunny. You – ch – YOU STAY SHINY-

_- Mercy_


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

By the way, I forgot to mention this at the end of the last chapter, but if anyone wants to know the music that Joker played for the opening ceremony, then look up "**The Conqueror Worm II**" by _Sopor Aeturnus_. The shit will knock your socks off – it is THE perfect theme for the Noah's Arc Circus, and I wanted to share it with all of you because you guys are the BEST for being so very patient with me while I take my time getting this chapter up.

Also, my sincerest apologies to **Rupanzel ** (you know who you are, you gorgeous thing you). I know I said I'd have an update for you by Friday or Saturday, but because of an incredibly busy end of week that I totally wasn't prepared for (had to baby-sit three kids Thrusday, Friday had to fill in for someone at work for a few hours, Saturday had work again then had to go out of town for the night and spend all night playing real-life Slender out in the middle of NOWHERE ((more like the Hundred Acre Woods, Horror Edition)), and then yesterday I was completely zonked out. I slept for like, the entire day. Woke up only to have a short phone conversation with an old friend that I haven't seen or heard from in YEEEAAARS, so we organized to hang out for the morning today, and this afternoon I had my boyfriend over so we could finish off Season 2 of our Black Butler marathon.) But that said, I'm going to be typing my butt off tonight, because I'd really like to update before work tomorrow. At the very latest, I want to up it up tomorrow morning. Anyway. Not getting anywhere blathering like this and confusing myself about time differences and how all that I just said about updating actually works. HOORAH FOR DIMBULBS LIKE ME.

I have more zest that ever now (having watched the end of Season 2 again) to write, so ONWARDS. TO THE CONVENTION ARC. WEEEEE-

**.:Hey:.**

In the planning of this story, I came up with a character list, all the characters from the anime and manga that I wanted to include, not including characters from the School Arc of the manga (too recent and I haven't kept up with it very well so far, I'm about two months behind ;A;). In total, I came up with 54 characters. I've so far managed to include all but five of them (that is, more than just mentioning them).

Can anyone guess who is left? Which five gentlemen (for they are **ALL** male characters) are still to be brought in for some screen time of the story? Anyone who can guess all five gets 50 glory points, a chapter dedication and a cameo appearance in the upcoming couple of chapters featuring the convention arc~! (just trying to spice it up a little – what's a good fanfiction if the author doesn't dangle a little competition for her readers to get a spot in an upcoming chapter?)

Get reading, and please leave me a review with your guesses!

_- Mercy_

…

_Also, while you've got that YouTube tab open listening to Sopor Aeturnus, once you've finished listening, type in "Building Steam" by Abney Park. Steampunk music for a Steampunk chapter, yo!_

_ANYONE WHO GETS THE __**BLAZBLUE **__REFERENCE IN THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER IS DOUBLE AWESOME SEXY AND GETS TWENTY FIVE GLORY POINTS!_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five:** Bitter Rabbit's Bitterness

**-:-**

"Ohmigawsh, look at this one! And this one!"

Pluto sighed with a soft laugh as the young blonde pressed his nose to the glass of one of the cabinets at a stall in the Huxters court below the auditorium. Ciel watched Finnian flit from one stall to the next, his face alight with excitement as he narrowly avoided bumping into the masses of crowds that were making their way through the Huxters.

"Like a kid at Christmas, I tell ya," Pluto smirked, and Ciel nodded.

"I don't think I've ever seen him this excited." He commented as he and the silver haired young man dutifully followed Finni around from stall to stall. "At least he doesn't have super human strength – if he were to accidentally barge into someone…"

Pluto laughed softly as they caught up with Finni, who looked like he had been hypnotized by a set of ribbons of assorted colours on display at a stall selling accessories of every colour of the rainbow. Most of them were steam-punk themed, with silver studs and small, decorative cogs and the like, and the woman behind the stall selling the accessories smiled sweetly at the two as they tried to pry Finnian away from the coloured assortment of fabric. Ciel gazed at their surroundings, catching sight of Mey-Rin and Bardroy across the humongous hall filled to the brim with people who were, for the most part, dressed pretty much as oddly as they were for the twenty-first century.

After Pluto's appearance at the café booth, the group had decided that it would be for the best if they split into smaller groups, as to not draw too much attention to themselves. Sebastian had first dictated that he and Ciel would be, of course, in the same group, but Grell had wagged his red-nailed finger at that, saying that the Dispatch would expect them to stick together. Besides, a boy and his butler would undoubtedly draw attention to themselves, especially after the way Ciel had thrown himself at Sebastian, who was dressed as a lowly butler subservient to Ciel who was dressed like an Earl. That would most likely already have started people talking. Begrudgingly, Sebastian had agreed, but had assigned Ciel to stay with Pluto and Finnian instead, knowing of Pluto's skills as a bodyguard and Finni's child-like demeanour to keep them from arousing suspicion. Mey-Rin and Bardroy had paired off, whilst Grell and Sebastian had separated into another pair. Sebastian had received a call from Madame Red just before they had all split up, and she had said she'd be unable to get to the convention until lunchtime, and they'd all agreed to meet up again then, at a small lunch bar in the train station just across the way from the convention centre itself. Finally satisfied that everyone was ready, the group had split up.

Which brought Ciel back to now. As he, Pluto and Finni had headed downstairs, he'd looked over his shoulder to see Sebastian being dragged away by the excitable Grell, who'd spotted and wanted to check out a nearby exhibit of Steampunk clothing items. He'd caught sight of Sebastian look back over his own shoulder, casting his eyes around the foyer until they found Ciel, and they'd exchanged silent nods before turning back to their respective company. Ciel knew just how on-edge Sebastian was here; just this morning, as the doctor had been helping him to dress, he'd been stressing to Ciel how important it was to stay near to him and the other group members throughout their time at the convention. But his nerves had shown through, and he'd had trouble buttoning Ciel's jacket and doing up the ribbon bow around his collar. Ciel thought back to how Sebastian's hands had trembled, ever so slightly, before the doctor had shook himself, and steadied himself to focus on the task at hand. He wondered, briefly, if Sebastian's hands had ever trembled or paused just before commencing work on Ciel when he had been captive in the Hospital. Did the doctors' hands shake when he held a scalpel? Or a syringe full of a serum to make the dream seem like reality?

"Hey, Ciel! Check this out!" Pluto was calling to Ciel from just across the isle, to where he and Finni were gazing in awe at rows upon rows of books all stacked together, many volumes gathered together from certain series. Ciel was pulled from his train of thought and went to catch up with them, only to walk into someone in a large, cream-coloured outfit.

Stumbling back, he looked up to see the outfit was complete with a hook to hide the persons face, but a black face with red eyes and a creepy grin shone out at him, cats ears decorating the top of the hood. There were two long, thick blonde braids protruding from the base of the hood like the strings of a string-tie hoodie, and the curious creature had massive, almost small pillow-sized paws that they flailed at Ciel as they cried out in a surprised meow. The figure was clearly female from the feminine frame, and her outfit was adorned with cogs on thin chains that wrapped around her wrists like charm bracelets, and a set of fake pipes were strapped to her arms to give the impression she was a steam-powered puppet.

"Nyaaah~!" she cried, and Ciel was too shocked to apologise, let alone pull together a decent reply. He stared at her, wide-eyed, as she danced about ditzily, giggling and meowing and waving her over-sized paws at him.

"Hey!" Pluto was suddenly dashing between them, and just as the cat girl made a playful leap at Ciel, reaching out to paw at his hat, the silver-haired young man growled. "Back off, kitty."

The cat-girl meowed in questioning, before shrugging and twirling around, dancing around dizzily, pouncing at a group of unsuspecting ladies and gentleman. Ciel gathered himself, and looked up at Pluto as Finni joined them.

"What the hell was _that_?" he asked, and Pluto shrugged.

"Dunno. A cosplayer, I think."

"Cosplayer?" Ciel asked, one eyebrow cocked, and Finnian nodded excitedly.

"Oh wow, and she was a really good one! She looks just like the character in the videogame!" he crooned, gazing after the grinning cat girl as she danced about the hall, bouncing around like she didn't have a care in the world, waving apologetically and meowing every time she accidentally bumped into someone. "She's different, though – looks like she's decorated herself in some Steampunk-like stuff to fit in."

"She's from a videogame?" Ciel blinked. He supposed, it could be possible. After all, he _had_ thought that he had been living in a past where demons and death gods existed. Finnian laughed.

"Well, that's her character. I think she might be a part of the Anime-Going-Steam exhibit upstairs," he said, and Ciel raised an eyebrow again, and Finnian continued. "Anime is the Japanese style of animation – the exhibit is showcasing a bunch of cosplayers who are dressing up from characters from a bunch of different anime shows and videogames and making them fit in to a Steampunk setting."

Ciel straightened his hat as Pluto guided them out of the middle of the isle and back into the thick of the crowds among the stalls. "How do you even know all this?" he asked, and the blonde gardener grinned and held up a pamphlet, opening it up to reveal a schedule, and he pointed to a block on the timetable, indicating an event, marked as 'Anime-Going-Steam'. "Oh. Of course."

"Look, guys," Pluto nudged them towards a stall that was selling plush bunny toys with assorted Steampunk decorations. Ciel caught sight of one in particular.

"Wait, that's…" he stepped up to the table that had the arrangement of soft toys on sale, and reached out to take hold of the white rabbit he'd seen. It was wearing a blue striped waistcoat, and under its big floppy ears which he had to brush out of the way to see its face, it wore an silk black eye patch. Ciel couldn't believe his eyes. "It's the Bitter Rabbit."

"The what?" Pluto asked, looking curiously over his shoulder. Finnian grabbed the tag that was attached to the rabbits leg.

"He's right! This is the Bitter Rabbit, a part of the Funtom Toys Collection!" he read, and Ciel looked up to see the banner at the top of the stall. His heart dropped unexpectedly – he had hoped to find something that connected him to his false memories, the past that hadn't really been. This toy had been one of the bestselling products his company, the Funtom Company, had produced. He realized that he should have been expecting that the Funtom Company in reality would have conceived such an idea, if everything else was so similar to the way he remembered. But he couldn't quite fathom why it surprised him so much to see the banner proudly exclaiming that this was the Funtom Toys Company stall.

"Wow, Ciel, you okay?" Pluto had his hand on Ciel's shoulder, and Ciel was jerked back to reality. He had been thinking about all the warehouses and toy factories he had visited and overlooked the production lines of in his false reality. He had been wondering if they were similar to the real ones.

"What?" he asked, before coughing awkwardly. "Oh – I'm fine."

"Gosh, that bunny looks really cute with you, Ciel," Finnian gawked, and Ciel blushed in surprise, unconsciously gripping the toy closer to him.

"Uh – hey!" he began, just as the stallholder behind the table spoke to them.

"You do look pretty cute, kid," he chuckled, and Ciel could feel Pluto immediately tense up at the sudden approach of the stranger, but all Ciel could do was feel the heat colouring his cheeks even redder than before.

"Heheh – you should buy it!" Finni grinned, catching Ciel off guard. He hadn't actually…_considered_…purchasing anything at the convention. Except maybe food. But that was Sebastian's job, as his caretaker and guardian. Besides, Ciel didn't have any money on him.

"Uh – I can't," he muttered, before placing the toy back on the table. "Sorry for wasting your time, uh, sir." He nodded awkwardly to the stallholder before turning away, surprising all three behind him. He heard Pluto say something to the stallholder as Finni trotted to catch up with him, but he didn't quite hear. Moments later, Pluto was catching up with them, and Ciel kept his eyes fixed to the floor. He couldn't believe that he was getting emotional about a damn _toy. _ He had to stay focussed. This wasn't the time for messing around.

"Here."

Suddenly, Pluto was placing the white rabbit toy into Ciel's hands again, and Ciel looked up in surprise.

"Wha-what?!" he asked, and Finnian smiled.

"Aw, he bought it for you! That was real sweet, Plu-Plu!" he breathed, and Pluto shrugged modestly with a small smile.

"W-why did you…" Ciel asked, dumbfounded, but the silver haired young man just chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Coz you looked like that rabbit meant somethin' to ya. I don't know what's goin' on inside your noggin, Ciel, but you got this look on your face, like that bunny held some kind of importance for you. So I figured out should have it. Like I got this," he said, gesturing to the string-tie at the base of his throat that held up his shirt collar. Ciel blinked, realizing that what Pluto had said was true, and it only mildly surprised him to realize that Pluto, of all people, would have been the most likely one to see it that way. The realization crumbled when the guy grinned and added, "And besides – ya do look cute."

Groaning under his breath, Ciel rolled his eyes and looked down at the toy now in his grasp. He wondered briefly if he would having any trouble discerning reality from his fake memories in the next two days – the convention was like a blast from the past, in a way, just…wackier. And the rabbit…it was an unexpected surprise. It made him feel a little homesick, and he wished momentarily that he were home in his mansion, before shaking himself. No. That was exactly what he couldn't be thinking. That was wrong. He wasn't that person any more. As he admired the fine stitch work that adorned the rabbits face, creating its nose, mouth, and it's sewn-on button eye, he determined that he would use the rabbit to make sure he would stay focussed; every time he felt homesick or wanting of something that wasn't real, he would focus on the rabbit to remind himself that that was all just fiction. It was something Sebastian would tell him to do, he felt.

They merged through the crowds, occasionally having to duck and weave around the occasional cosplayer with an over-sized bonnet or some such similar. More than once they bumped into someone or another in an outfit far more outrageous than their own, and would try to smile politely and apologise before moving one.

Finnian was their one constant mover – always dragging them from stall to stall, admiring the things on offer and sale before something else undoubtedly shinier caught his eye, and he was off again. Finally, Pluto told Finni to go and wander about himself, seeing how hard Ciel was breathing.

"I'm fine," he hissed through a wheeze, but Pluto was already forcing the asthma puffer into his hand.

"Nope," the silver haired young man shook his head with a knowing smile. "Sebastian will have my hide if he sees me lettin' you over-exert yourself just to keep up with Finni. We should rest, and let Finni work out his excitement at his own pace."

"You sure, guys? You'll be okay?" Finnian sounded worried, and once Ciel had inhaled the ghastly tasting medicine, his breathing slowly returning to normal, he looked up, seeing the gardeners worried face. Pluto spoke for him.

"Sure, go for it, kid – after all, we should enjoy ourselves while we can. We can't be tense all the time." He said, before sitting Ciel down at a nearby table that was a part of the canteen style set-up at this end of the hall. "I'll get Ciel something to drink, and we'll wait for you here. It's almost time to meet up with the others, anyhow."

Having been given the green light to flit away and explore to his hearts content, Finnian's face lit up and he threw his arms around Pluto in a big hug before giving Ciel a slightly gentler one, and then, he dashed back into the crowds. Ciel found himself smiling as the excitable young blonde became lost within the continuously surging mass of people in varying arrays of Steampunk outfits. Pluto chuckled softly to himself.

"Wait here a sec, kiddo," Pluto said to Ciel, catching his attention away from the last place Ciel had been able to see Finni before he disappeared. "I'll be right back – and don't worry, I can see you from the canteen. You'll be okay by yourself for a moment or two, right?"

Ciel nodded, and Pluto headed over to the canteen, and then, he turned back to survey his surroundings. The dining area of the canteen was almost as busy as the rest of the Huxters domain – people were buying food and drinks, sitting around at the tables, taking photos, trading things, showing each other merchandise that they'd purchased, laughing and having an all round good time. The atmosphere of it made Ciel smile a little, and he absent-mindedly stroked the Bitter Rabbit as he held it on his lap, his reverie broken by a rather shy voice.

"E-excuse me, mister."

Ciel blinked and looked up to see three young girls perhaps only a few years older than him, all dressed in varying outfits that would befit young girls of the late nineteenth century. One of them was holding a camera.

"Uh – yes?" he asked, startled a little by their seemingly nervous approach.

"W-we were just wondering, um – I mean, we couldn't help but notice – you're the boy from earlier, who put on the fencing display in the main f-foyer just after the opening ceremony," the girl in the middle of the trio said, and her friends were smiling and giggling to each other nervously. "And, um, we w-wanted to say just how amazing you were!" she stammered, and the three of them gave him a quick bow each. "And w-wanted to know if you'd, uh, maybe…give us an a-autograph and p-pose for a picture, please?!"

Ciel was so taken aback by the girls nervous stammer, and by her request, that he merely sat there for a moment, unsure what to do as a blush once again crept over his face. Apparently, keeping a "low profile", like Sebastian had told him, wasn't as easy as he'd thought it would be.

"Uh…sure," he said, getting up, and the trio of girls just about squealed with glee, babbling their thanks and how awesome he was, before catching sight of the Bitter Rabbit in his grasp, and gasping and wowing over how cute he was, how much it suited him – and Ciel inwardly moaned as he felt himself go red in the ears from all the attention. As the girls took turns in taking photos with him, he cast his eyes around nervously for Pluto – in between photos, he saw the silver haired young man watching him with some amusement from the line of people at the canteen. Obviously, Pluto didn't think that three fangirling school girls were too much danger to worry about, and so Ciel had to grin and bear the attention, before a permanent marker was handed to him, and they all were suddenly asking him to sign the collars of their frocks, as well as the photos that were printed instantly from the large camera they shared between them.

Suddenly, Ciel realized that he couldn't sign his own name. Not because he didn't know how to write, or that he couldn't remember how to write, but because if he wrote 'Ciel Phantomhive' on their shirts and their photos, even they would probably raise an eyebrow at that. After all, Phantomhive was a well known name throughout England, as Sebastian and the others had told him, and Ciel was such an uncommon name that it was likely to be remembered from all reports of the incident of his disappearance three years ago.

"What's the matter?" one of the girls asked, now completely over her nerves as she watched him curiously. Ciel shook himself, realizing that he'd been staring dumbly at the pen in his hand for almost a minute now.

"Uh – n-nothing." He mumbled, embarrassed, before cursing himself for being such an dolt. What the hell could he write, if he couldn't even write his own name? Suddenly, it hit him, and he reached up to sign the first of the girls collars, careful not to mark their necks with the permanent black ink.

"Whoooa," one of the other girls breathed as he signed the name with a flourish. "That's a really cool signature! Wait, what does it say?" She and the third girl all peered closely at their friends neck to read the single, simple word that Ciel had written, a small, simple star in the shape of the Faustian contract make that he remembered having emblazoned on his eye tagged on the end of the signature.

"It's 'Smile'," Ciel told them, and they all turned to him with eyes wide.

"Huh?" one of them said. "Is that really your name?"

"Dummy!" hissed another. "That's _obviously_ his stage name!"

"Ooooh!" the other two exclaimed at once, and Ciel couldn't help but laugh softly at the epiphany as it hit them. They caught sight of his laugh, and they all suddenly gasped in unison.

"Oh my God, look!"

"You're so _adorable!_"

"That name totally suits you, Smile!" they were suddenly all flocking him like a gaggle of excited geese, cooing over how cute he was, and Ciel realized what a bad idea it had been. He realized, also, that these girls seemed to think he was some sort of actor, one that they had been nervous of approaching in fear of being turned down, not knowing that he had as much acting experience as a thimble. He could use this power to get them to leave him alone, too, he reasoned with himself.

"Uh – excuse me," he said, making his voice firm. "I'd like some space, please – that is, if you'd like me to finish signing your collars and photos, that is. I can't from this close proximity."

All three girls immediately leapt back, babbling apologies and thanking him again and again for agreeing to give them autographs. Once he had repeated the signature several more times, they finally left him be, waving goodbye and thank him over and again more times than he could count. With a sigh, he was finally able to catch his breath and take a seat again as Pluto returned with an amused smile on his face, drinks in each hand. He set one down in front of Ciel before taking a seat across the white Formica table from him.

"_Soooo_," was all Pluto had to say, and Ciel felt himself blushing furiously all over again.

"Oh _shuttup_," he grumbled, taking a long sip of his drink.

**-:-**

"Hey Pluto."

"Yeah?"

"There's something I want to ask you."

It had been on Ciel's mind for a while now. Ever since he had realized that he had seen one of Alois Trancy's memories. They were in a large grassed courtyard that was shaded by several oak trees that stood in the centre of the convention centre, where people could go to get a bit of sunlight and fresh air without having to leave the convention. The trio of them had met up with Mey-Rin and Bardroy, and Pluto and Ciel were left to sit under the shade of one of the trees as Bardroy, Mey-Rin and Finnian were sitting out in the sunshine a little way off, swapping stories and smiles amongst each other.

Pluto sent a glance Ciel's way as he leaned back against the base of the large oak tree.

"And what's that?"

Ciel looked down at his gloved hands, and wondered, was Pluto the right person to come to? Surely, Sebastian would have more answers. But then he realized that of course Pluto was the one to ask. There were things that he knew that Ciel was sure that Sebastian didn't. After all, Pluto had been able to tell Ciel about some things that Ciel now suspected had been involved with his gaining a memory of Alois'.

"Were you the only one to ever operate the Dream Chair?"

The question seemed to take Pluto by surprise, and there was a long pause before he sighed and responded. And when he did so, he did so slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"Most of the time, yeah. I mean, having built it, everyone else just kinda assumed that I was the go-to guy when they wanted to use it. I was the only one who knew how to adjust it, work it properly, etcetera. …Why do you ask?"

Ciel took his time replying, realizing that if he told Pluto straight out what he suspected, Pluto would either laugh it off or get incredibly worried. The latter was most likely to happen. That was, if Pluto didn't know. If he did, then he was keeping a huge secret from everyone.

"Most of the time?"

"Yeah. There was no real manual on how to use the damn thing, but it was a fairly simple concept carried out by structural complexity, I suppose." The silver haired young man replied, his eyes watching the trio of their friends enjoying the sunshine on the grass a little way off. "Come on, now, Ciel. Why do you want to know?"

Chewing on his lip, Ciel thought that it was for the best that he drop the subject, but he knew now that he couldn't. Pluto was going to get suspicious if he dithered about it any longer.

"I think I as hooked up to it." He blurted.

The silence was so loud that even the chatter and laughter of Finni, Bard and Mey-Rin faded away. Ciel knew that he had just about stepped on a huge metaphorical land mine, and slowly, he looked up at Pluto. Who was visibly shaking.

"H-how do you know that?" Pluto asked at long last.

"I was using a technique that Sebastian used to help uncover my suppressed memories. I found one that didn't quite fit – it wasn't mine. I realized that it belonged to someone else. The only way for it to be possible was if I had been hooked up to the Dream Chair and my subconscious was synchronized with someone else's. Another Subject, I'm guessing." Ciel said slowly, watching Pluto's reaction carefully. His companion appeared to be frozen in thought, his eyes wide, his fists clenched so hard that his knuckles were white. Ciel dropped his gaze back to his hands. He knew how ridiculous it sounded –

"You're not to tell Sebastian."

"What?" the order came as a surprise to Ciel, and he looked back up at Pluto in shock. There was an angry frown slashing Pluto's features.

"Sebastian must not know. He'll go mental. And yeah, you were hooked up to it." Pluto said, and Ciel felt dread falling into the pit of his stomach as his suspicions were confirmed. "But it wasn't by me. That asshole Claude Faustus got his grubby mits on you one time when Sebastian was pulled out of the Keepers ward for an emergency with one of the other test subjects in another ward – he's the best guy they had, so they made him save the other kids life; it was a long night, but he did it, even though it meant leaving you unattended."

Ciel was speechless, but he was desperately trying to gather words. "Wha…how…?"

Pluto just shook his head sadly. "I don't think you were hooked up for too long – I came into the Keepers ward to drop off some equipment when I saw you'd been removed from your isolation tank, along with Subject Twelve, Alois. I checked the small lab in the back of the ward, and there he was, the greedy bastard, plugging you in to the damn machine, hooking you up with God-knows-what submersion drugs and synchronizing your subconscious with Alois'. I stopped him, had to knock the bastard out, but I managed to disconnect the two of you without any trouble and returned you both to your isolation tanks, though it took a while to get you both stable enough to be left on your own so I could figure out what to do. I was so worried of what Sebastian would do if he found out – don't get me wrong, Ciel, I hate Claude Faustus, but Sebastian would have killed him, no questions asked. I know Sebastian. And we couldn't have a Keeper just murdering another. Sebastian would have been booted from the Hospital, possibly even killed himself, and then none of us would have had any hope of savin' you kids."

"You were…planning on saving us?" Ciel managed to string together enough words to form a cohesive sentence, and Pluto nodded.

"Yeah, right from the start, and they asked me in too, coz I knew Finni when he was in medical school, and he didn't think I was a bad person. You're just the beginning Ciel, but if we hadn't played along for as long as we did before all going rouge, then we wouldn't have even had a chance in rescuing any of you." He said, and he hung his head. "I'm so ashamed that I never told nobody, but now that you know you mustn't tell Sebastian."

Ciel blinked, slowly registering everything that Pluto was saying. Obviously, the group had some sort of plan to go back to the Hospital and rescue the other children being used as test subjects.

"B-but why would it matter now?" he asked softly. "Sebastian's nowhere near Claude."

Pluto let out a quiet sigh, which almost sounded like a masked chuckle. "You don't get it, do ya, Ciel?"

"Don't get what?"

"I fear for my life, too, y'know. Claude might not be around to murder, but Sebastian made it real clear to all of us that if he ever caught us screwing around with you or anything like that, he'd make us all pay. And I knew fully well what he did to that investigator from the Dispatch, when they were nosing around the Hospital before everything went to hell. I know he killed the guy – it was mostly an accident; they got in a fight, and Sebastian won because he had no other option. The agents death was mostly because Sebastian was defending himself, which ended with the agent's neck getting broken. Of course, Sebastian will tell you that he _meant_ to kill the guy. That's how he deals with it."

"How he deals with it?" Ciel repeated. "What do you mean?"

"With the pain. The shock and the realization that he'd killed some guy with his bare hands eventually stops being shock and starts hurting. He was scared he might accidentally do it again – he was so careful. But he had to act tough, like he didn't care. Like it was just, oh well, another day, another death. Sebastian Michaelis has done some terrible things in this world, Ciel, but he's redeeming himself, slowly. You're his proof of that, and if he loses you, then he loses everything." Pluto said, and Ciel could hear the seriousness in his tone, see it in his expression. "You're the one thing he can't stand to lose. He doesn't care about much else anymore. If he can prove that you're a survivor, then he'll regain a life to call his own, having fulfilled the purpose that now drives him to keep going, every single day."

"So…so if he finds out that I've had my mind messed with…" Ciel vaguely recalled fake memories of staying at the Trancy manor, with Claude proclaiming that he had killed Alois, and found that Sebastian was really the one who was his target for revenge. He remembered the sound of crashes, like huge trees being torn from their roots in the ground. He remembered glancing out the window and seeing the carnage.

Sebastian had done that.

A breeze swept across the courtyard, ruffling their clothes ever so slightly, and it brought with it a slight chill, and Ciel felt himself shiver a little as the breeze caused goosebumps over his bare knees, the parts of his legs that were showing, between the bottom of his dress-shorts and the top of his long socks, held in place by simple leather straps. Pluto nodded, about to answer, when suddenly, a voice called to them from across the green. They looked up, and saw Sebastian and Grell waving to them, and at their side, was Madame Red, looking beautiful in the glorious red outfit the Undertaker had designed for her.

Finnian, Mey-Rin and Bardroy were scrambling to their feet to go and meet them, but Ciel and Pluto paused a moment, watching the scene before them. Ciel remained seated a while longer, even after Pluto sighed and clambered to his feet, brushing himself down. Ciel's eyes were fixed on Sebastian, who's attention was caught by the approach of the others, and he smiled and laughed along with them as they eagerly told him about their recent adventures throughout the convention. Ciel watched the expressions on Sebastian's face, how he smiled, how his eyes seemed to smile, too – so genuinely, as he would listen to Finni and Mey-Rin babble excitedly. Ciel knew, that, despite his earlier tension, Sebastian had relaxed.

"What're you waiting for?" Pluto asked as he reached a hand down to offer Ciel some help getting to his feet. With a smile of his own, Ciel accepted the young mans help and was lifted up, his Bitter Rabbit hugged close in his other hand. Once he was upright, Ciel let his gaze fall back onto the dark haired doctor across the courtyard.

"You know something?"

"Yeah?" Pluto said softly, and glanced at Ciel.

"I don't think…I don't think I'm the only one he truly cares about here," Ciel said quietly, and Pluto turned his gaze to Sebastian as well. After a moment, he chuckled softly.

"You know what? I think you're right."

With that, they stepped out into the sunshine, and headed over to meet their friends and family.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

HOLY SHIT. I wrote 12 whole pages (this entire friggin' chapter) in just under two hours. It's completely un-beta'd, I haven't gone through to check for spelling errors, because I really, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to update tonight (yay!), so I AM. REVIEW. Pleeeeeease review. I'll love you to smithereens! And probably update again soon, I mean, I have the day after tomorrow free, I suppose…

SO. Who got the BlazBlue reference? I had pretty much the same encounter as Ciel did with an absolutely GOEGROUS Taokaka cosplayer when I went to WaiCon earlier this year, and because she was so awesome and ditzy, I figured, what the hell, this convention should have some fun in it! (does this mean I've made a Kuroshitsuji/BlazBlue crossover?! O_O) REVIEW AND TELL MEH.

ALSO! Don't forget to see if you can figure out the five gentlemen that have yet to have any screen time, the five characters that I have yet to wholly introduce into the story! REVIEW AND LET MEH KNOW!

Stay tuned! Will Sebastian ever learn of Pluto and Ciel's dark secret? What will happen in the upcoming events of the Cosplay Competition, day one? Will they be foiled in their attempts at reuniting Ciel with his long-lost father? What's really going on with the Aristocrats of Evil? And what the HELL are Diedrich and Abberline up to? _NEXT TIME, ON __**SUBJECT 13'S BUTLER**__! _

You wanna find out? _**REVIEW.**_

_- Mercy_


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

You know what? I'm starting to think that I should've titled the last chapter "Bitter and Pooch" instead of "Bitter Rabbit's Bitterness". I was thinking about it yesterday while I was at work; and it's actually something that my lovely reader, **TheTimeTravelingAuthor,** also brought to my attention. Ciel and Pluto don't really have a lot of social interaction in the episodes of the first season that include Pluto – I think the most time they get together is mainly just in episode 12, I believe, where Sebastian leaves Pluto with Ciel as Ciel goes to investigate Lizzy's disappearance. Even then, Pluto gives Ciel as much attention as he might a teaspoon of rock salt, so writing that last chapter made me realize afterwards that they're a lot closer than you might find in many other fics.

Some fanfics just omit Pluto altogether, or only give him a passing mention. Sad thing is, he was a big part of the first series, and he's got a big role in this story, too. I have the entire ending of the story all mapped out (seriously, there's like, six A3 pages all taped together with a massive mind-map and notes and annotations all over it. I managed to sum up what's gonna be in the last couple of chapters in about nine typed pages. It's HUUUUUUGE).

…I have the very final scene of the story written out. I can't believe I wrote something that sad. I mean, seriously.

But yeah. I digress. Get readin', yo!

_- Mercy_

…

_don't you guys like challenges? ;A; so far no one's even taken a wild stab at who the mystery five gents who have yet to be brought in are! Well, safe to say that one of them will be introduced in this chapter! Also, a mistake I made – one of them was the Viscount Druitt, and I've only just realized that yes, I have introduced him, and even though he hasn't had more screen time, he won't be making another appearance – only in a flash back later on in the story. Sooo…once this chapter is over, there will be THREE unveiled characters left for you all to guess!_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six:** Hope Piece

**-:-**

"I still can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Diedrich smirked at him. "Hush up, kid. You look good."

Abberline glared at the German man dismally. "I'm _not _going out there looking like this. It'll be way too obvious."

This weak objection was met with an unconcerned shrug, and he groaned as Diedrich waved his apprehension off. It was quiet, and dimly lit here. They hadn't been able to utilize the auditoriums dressing rooms, for fear of being uncovered – there were already a lot of people swarming around that end of the back stage.

"You'll be just fine. Yeesh, quit worrying," Diedrich reassured him, just as footsteps approached, and they turned to see Joker stepping out from among the shadows.

"Are we ready?" he asked, and Diedrich nodded as Abberline furiously shook his head, and the entertainer blinked in surprise before laughing softly. "Ah, ya'll do perfect, Mister Abberline. Trust me, I've been in all sortsa costumes and get-ups – even I woulda passed for what yer tryin' to pull off."

"Then why don't you do it instead?" Abberline muttered under his breath. His tension wasn't just because of what they were about to do – but if Randall…no, if _Vincent Phantomhive _found out what he and Diedrich were up to, he had no clue of what the Watchdog was capable of via punishment methods. They were seriously violating Vincent's rule about not investigating the Convention Troupe. As it turned out, the moment Diedrich flashed the name "Watchdog" in front of the main security detail for the Troupe's ring leading performers, Joker had been all over them – desperate to try and convince them that the Troupe wasn't up to any shady business.

Of course, Diedrich had put to rest any of the young mans fears of shutting his business down, and instead explained their current situation. Joker had listened, and agreed to the terms that Diedrich had offered. Abberline had then been pulled in by Diedrich, and now, here they were, ready for the first step of their plan.

"Remind me, Diedrich, why are they so eager to co-operate with us again?" he asked his German companion as Joker waved them a cheery goodbye and good luck as he headed off to see to some last minute preparations, and Diedrich chuckled.

"Coz the entire Troupe's sworn loyalty to Vincent now – ever since he spared their lives after another incident that involved the kidnapping of children." He explained. "Which is why I was so pushy about Vincent looking into this lot when I first found that flyer."

"You mean you suspected that the Troupe were kidnapping children and selling them off to the Hospital for underground secret experiments?" Abberline asked, and Diedrich nodded.

"Yeah. The case Vincent had where this lot was first involved ended up revealing that a rash of children _had _been kidnapped, but none were ever found alive. All of them were dead by the time we got there. Vincent was furious – I ain't never seen him so mad. He murdered the man who had been behind it all, a guy by the name of Kelvin – a nutter who had some insane notion about becoming like a beautiful child again, and his mad doctor buddy who would murder the children in brutal sacrificial acts, all the while passing off their deaths as 'accidents', promising Kelvin that they were mere mistakes in his research to help make Kelvin look young. Blindly, Kelvin continued kidnapping children, using the travelling Convention Troupe as his cover – he hired Joker and his team, all of whom have had criminal records in the past that he simply wiped clean, giving them all a new life and purpose." Diedrich said, and Abberline watched as Joker pranced away to another small group of people, cheerfully throwing his arms around them and talking excitedly.

He couldn't imagine someone who looked so…so _happy_ to have been a criminal at one point.

"You mean…Vincent just let them all go?"

"Oh no, he made them all severely pay for the crimes they'd committed in their new lives – he took away their benefactor, who was Kelvin. He was the one who kept them all clothed, fed – they depended on him and blindly followed his orders without question, coz they all felt like they owed him their lives. But instead of having them disposed of like he did Kelvin, Vincent showed them that they could have a chance at redeeming themselves; they could be independent, work for themselves and benefit from their own gains. He didn't kill them, coz he could see that they could have their lives back." The German said, and as Abberline watched, he saw a young girl, the one the Troupe fondly called Doll, bound up to Joker and the small group to ask Joker something. "They're not all bad. Really, they were just a lost group of kids, but now they've got all this, and it's all they have."

"Which explains why Joker was pleading for us to spare the Troupes business before, wasn't it?"

Diedrich nodded. "Yup."

"Well now we know that they're not involved, we could just pack up and go back to London, I guess," Abberline sighed, tugging them lapels of his jacket back into place. "I mean, we even snuck around all of last night looking for anything suspicious – and it got us no where. But I suppose you want to see this through?"

The German nodded and gave him a small smirk.

"Don't you? There's one other reason why we're here, after all."

Abberline turned his gaze away, and out into the darkness that shrouded the seats of the auditorium. The theatre was empty at the moment, but he knew that outside, swarms of people were getting ready to start pouring in. He swallowed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I suppose it _will_ be interesting to see what kind of reaction we get."

**-:-**

Having rejoined back up with the rest of the group for lunch, Ciel found himself constantly sneaking glances at Sebastian, and at the doctors hands. Those were the hands of a murderer. A man who had committed so many crimes, done many terrible things. Experimented, albeit against his will, on children. Every time Sebastian would notice his glances, though, Ciel would look away, feeling heat flush his face, hoping against hope that Sebastian wouldn't ask why Ciel kept looking at him. Ciel didn't know if he'd have the guts to _ever_ explain to Sebastian why.

They were all at ease until Grell approached them – the Dispatch agent had peeled away from the group once they'd settled for lunch to do a quick scope of the convention grounds for any activity that might suggest the rest of the Dispatch security team had finally turned up. Ciel could tell immediately that the redhead didn't have good news – the grim look on Grell's face told him as much.

"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked, immediately alert as the agent stepped up to their café booth where everyone was shuffled around, chomping on sandwiches and cookies, slurping down slushies and cups of coffee. Everyone stopped eating and chatting to hear what Grell had to say.

"It's not good," he sighed. "The other agents on the security detail have arrived – looks like the slashed tyres slowed them down, but they still came. Just in time for the Cosplay Competition it seems, which is the next big event."

"Does this mean we have to leave?" Finni asked, sounding a little crestfallen, but Grell shook his head.

"That's the last thing you should try and do." He said. "The second they spot a group leaving the convention, they'll have you under suspicion. You'll all be caught in no time. It's best if you all just try to act as naturally as before; avoid doing anything that might attract attention."

He gave a sly nudge to Ciel, who was sitting at the end of one of the two booths they were sitting at. Ciel nodded and ducked his face beneath his fringe to hide the small blush.

"Okay," Madame Red said calmly. "So if anything happens, what action should we take?"

"Resist at all costs," Sebastian said firmly. "Avoid capture. They might not be the Hospital, but we're still flying low under their radar so that they don't steal Ciel away and use him like he's nothing more than a piece of evidence from a crime scene."

"Bassy don't be so _heartless_," Grell chided with a small smile. "I'd like to think Will's not _that_ inhuman. He might have no soul, but he's not about to treat some _kid_ like he's nothing but kibble."

"But if the Hospital gets to us and Ciel first," Bardroy interrupted seriously. "Then he might as well be kibble. And the rest of us would be dead."

Mey-Rin, Finnian and Pluto nodded along solemnly, but Sebastian seemed to be deep in thought. Ciel wondered if he was considering all ways that they might escape if they needed to. It was then that a thought occurred to him.

"What about tomorrow?" he asked suddenly, and they all looked to him. "What about the competition?"

"You'll just have to take your chances, kiddo," Grell shrugged. "I can't protect you in there."

"Our outfits should help us to blend in pretty well, I think," Madame Red added, and the others nodded. "If we keep a low profile, then we won't have much of a problem sliding by unnoticed, just like the rest of the contestants."

"And besides," Sebastian said thoughtfully. "We're not actually trying to _win _the competition; we just want to get up close to the guy claiming he's Vincent Phantomhive so Ciel can determine if he's the real thing."

"And if he is?" Grell asked, to which Pluto chuckled.

"Then we haul his ass out of there afterwards and make him explain just what the hell he thinks he's doing judging some competition when there's every man and his dog gunning to get a glimpse at his long-lost-supposedly-dead son, the infamous Ciel Phantomhive."

Ciel swallowed hard, trying not to picture his father completely ignoring his existence whilst he paraded around the stage the way Joker had done this morning, carefree and untroubled. He wondered if his parents even stilled cared about him, but quickly squashed the uncomfortable thoughts and returned his attention to what the rest of the group is saying.

"But nonetheless," Sebastian reinstated. "Low profiles, everybody. At least our story for our cosplay doesn't mention anything to do with the Phantomhives or the Hospital or anything that would attract the audiences attention."

As there was a round of agreements, Ciel fell back into thought. They weren't there to make a scene; they were there _undercover _to try and find out what exactly was going on and try to either find his father or try to get information on the Funtom Company, one of the main sponsors of the event. That was the original plan. Making a fuss about anything would get the attention of the Dispatch, and if there was anyone like the Double Charles still lurking around they would undoubtedly try to intervene. Ciel had a momentary mental image of an on-stage fight breaking out; between Dispatch agents, Grey and Phipps, Sebastian and Vincent Phantomhive – the audience screaming as shots were fired, people running, Sebastian trying to protect him from harm – he thought of the loss of life that might occur, the consequences, and then stopped thinking of it altogether. Not the best of ideas, no matter how block-buster-dramatic it was. Sebastian's hand was suddenly resting on his knee, and Ciel flinched away from the touch, breaking out of the reverie.

"Are you all right? You're looking pale," Sebastian said, leaning a little closer to examine Ciel's face. Screwing up his nose, Ciel leant away, out of the doctors reach from across the table.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

Sebastian raised an unconvinced eyebrow, but then somebody mentioned something about the time, and then Finnian checked the schedule and discovered it was almost time to head to the auditorium for the competition, and before Sebastian could question Ciel further, they were being shuffled out of the booth of the café and back out into the sunlight of the convention grounds towards the main building that housed the foyer, downstairs Huxters and the auditorium. The whole way there, though, Ciel couldn't shake the feeling of Sebastian's cold hand on his bare knee. He didn't know why, but the sensation chilled him, right down to the bone.

**-:-**

The darkness of the auditorium was a deceptive sort of darkness – it was hard to tell just how many people were crammed into it once the lights went down, but Ciel could see literally _hundreds_ of them swarming around the seats, most of them packed right down the front all the way to have halfway up. Unable to find seats close enough to the front, the group made do with a set of seats about two thirds of the way up the first set of seats, glad that they weren't shuffled all the way up into the second set. Ciel knew that it was going to be hard to determine the true identity of the man claiming to be his father from way back here, but from back up in the second set of seats, it would have been impossible without binoculars.

The stage lights were dimmed, music blearing out on the speakers lining the walls as the audience shuffled itself around and around, people changing seats, hefting up their old-fashioned skirts to let other people sidle by them, yelling to each other several rows of seats apart, moving up and down the stairs searching for seats. Finally, the audience lights dimmed, and the stage lights were brought up. The music changed up to a faster beat, and Joker appeared on stage.

"Hey, hey, welcome ye, welcome ye!" he called out, the microphone at his chin sending his voice booming out over the spectators as they made their final settling of seating arrangements. "Hope you're all enjoyin' the convention so far, everyone! Its been a real pleasure bein' out and about among ye today, the hype is great and the atmosphere is beautiful, much like many of our lovely ladies cosplaying out there, right folks?"

A round of applause went up, and several wolf-whistles pierced the air over the top of the clapping, before Joker raised his hands for silence.

"And now, the event you've all been waiting for today – the start of our two-day Cosplay Competition!" he cried, and another cheer, this one louder and far more boisterous than the first, sent the crowd wild. Joker let them applaud for longer this time, before calling for quiet again. "Today sees the return of a great friend of mine and fellow judge of the competition – " Ciel unconsciously gripped the armrests of his seat, leaning forward ever so slightly. "– Let's give it up, ladies and gentlemen, for the return of the one, the only, the great _Vincent Phantomhive_!"

Once again, a huge cheer had the audience in a frenzy, but to Ciel, the sounds of the raucous audience around him were dimmed, a mere hum to his ears as he saw a man dressed in a long, dark trenchcoat, shined black shoes, and top hat adorned with small chains and cogs and a set of pipes up one side, stepped out onto the stage from behind the curtain next to Joker. Ciel's breathe caught in his throat.

It certainly _looked_ like Vincent Phantomhive.

"Well?" Pluto was leaning down and said in his ear. "Is that him?"

Ciel's brow furrowed as he squinted, trying to get a better look at the man under the bright spotlight. "I-I can't tell. I don't know." He felt defeated, somehow, but he held onto the fact that he'd have a much better chance to identify the man tomorrow.

"Don't give up, kiddo," Pluto said, before turning to his other side, turning back a moment later, a set of binoculars in his hand. "Hear, try these."

"Where did you get those?" Sebastian piped up, having noticed the two exchanging words. Pluto shrugged as he handed Ciel the binoculars.

"Asked the lady next to me if she wouldn't mind me borrowing them for a moment," he asked, a small smirk on his face, and Sebastian rolled his eyes. Ciel, however, barely heard them – and it wasn't just from the noise of the crowd; it was from the concentration as he held up the binoculars and peered through the lenses down at the stage.

Yes. It certainly _did_ look like his father. There was the small mole, just under his left eye. His height and stature was about right, if Ciel's memory served correctly. The mans soft smile and kind eyes did hold remarkable resemblance to his father, too. Even from this distance, as the man was taking a bow in front of the audience, Ciel was almost certain that it _was_ his father.

But something made him pause.

If it was Vincent Phantomhive, then why did he make the sudden reappearance into the spotlight, after three and a half years of mysteriously disappearing. And why was his first move to be a judge at a convention competition that wasn't even in London, that just happened to coincide with Ciel and Sebastian's plans, as well as the Dispatch turning up the security, and the Hospital still hot on their heels?

Even after the audience quietened down, and he handed the binoculars back to Pluto to return to the lady he'd borrowed them from, he barely heard or noticed the variety of cosplayers dancing across the stage in order to impress Joker and the man who had claimed to be Vincent Phantomhive. He was trying, so very, very hard, to figure out what it was about the man that just made him so _certain_, despite all the physical evidence of seeing the man, hearing his voice, watching him move – he couldn't lay his finger on what made him so sure that it wasn't his father. Regardless of the questions raised in his mind; there was something else.

While the others clapped politely and cheered along with the rest of the crowd, Ciel couldn't help but remain, deeply embedded in thought. It was then that the boy in the seat in front of him turned around and grinned up at him, shocking Ciel.

It was his Other Self.

"Hey."

Ciel was too stunned to speak, his gazed suddenly torn from the stage. The Other Ciel was dressed just the same as he had been the first time Ciel had met him, and the regal smirk on his face made Ciel feel as if his Other Self had something cunning to say.

"Remember me? I'm your _sense_. You don't need instinct here. Just sense. What's wrong with this picture?"

The Other Ciel pointed down at the stage, at the Vincent Phantomhive that was next to Joker, doing the announcing and the running narration of the cosplayers skits, sharing laughs and jokes with the orange-haired, skeletal handed Joker. Ciel blinked, taking in the scene before him numbly.

"It's not…right…he wouldn't…"

"Uh-uh-uuuh," Other Ciel wagged his finger, lazily crossing his legs, one over the other, leaning back in his seat leisurely. "_Look. _Don't _think _about what he would and wouldn't do. Take a good, long look at him. Figure out why he's not the man you so desperately want him to be."

The Other Ciel turned back to watch the competition, and after a moment, Ciel shook himself and looked at the stage again, before back down to his Other Self. Only to see a nine year old girl cheering ecstatically and wielding a small flag on a stick, sitting harmlessly next to her parents. Blinking hard, Ciel closed his eyes before looking again – no, it was still the little girl. Not his Other Self.

"Strange…" he murmured, before looking back to the stage. What was it, he wondered? Who was this man, and why was he not Vincent Phantomhive…?

**-:-**

"He's not my father."

A collective gasp of shock went up from the group as they gathered around a little later that evening. Ciel had kept his thoughts bottled up from the entire afternoon, even after the competition had ended for the day, and they had gone back to enjoying the rest of the convention.

"What?!" Mey-Rin cried. "B-but how could he not be?! He looks _just_ like your father!"

"Yeah, Ciel," Finni said, sounding worried as he hugged onto the Bitter Rabbit toy of Ciel's for him. "Are you certain? Won't you make sure for certain tomorrow?"

"I know it's not him. It makes sense." Ciel said firmly, and he turned to face the group as they were gathered on the front steps outside the main building. The evening was setting in, the afternoon sky fading gently to a darker, more purple hue with the last of the rays of light clawing to remain in the sky. A soft breeze ruffled his hair, but Ciel didn't feel the chill on the wind. "I'm certain."

The look of surprise and shock on everyone's faces barely surprised him. Sebastian, however, kept a straight face. If anything, he looked thoughtful, his brows slightly furrowed as he stood to the back of the group, not saying a word.

"But how can you tell? We were too far away for even binoculars to be able to give you a definite answer," Pluto said, and Bardroy nodded.

"Yeah – doncha think it might be nerves or something? You're nervous about seeing him again, so you're not sure?" the blonde asked, but Ciel shook his head.

"No. I'm positive. That man in there isn't Vincent Phantomhive. But I will still get close to him tomorrow. I want to know why he's masquerading around as my father, after all," he said, and, reluctantly, the group nodded along. He knew they had been hoping against hope that it was going to turn out to be Vincent. He had overheard Finnian and Mey-Rin talking in hushed tones the night before about how wonderful it would be to be able to reunite Ciel with his father. Ciel had gone to sleep feeling a little worried, scared that it would turn out for the worst.

But now that he knew, he didn't have any fears, and no doubts at all. He felt oddly… detached from the whole situation. Like he'd simply put his feeling aside in order to get down to the bottom of the mystery of who this man was. Was he connected to Vincent in someway? Did he work for him? Was he a friend? Fraud? Or just another actor, a stage performer with the rest of the Noah's Arc Troupe made to act like Vincent to reel more people into coming to the convention?

Ciel cast his eyes up to the sky, where the stars were beginning to shine, before he looked back at the convention centre. The fun and festivities had finished for the day, and everyone had slowly filed out and headed home. Grell had given them a clear way out where there would be no Dispatch security, and had told them that they would be completely in the clear once they reached the train station to head back to the hotel where they were all staying. Ciel knew that they shouldn't be standing around, out in the open like this, but he took a moment more to feel the breath of wind against his skin.

"We should go, right, Sebastian?" he said, looking to the dark-haired doctor, who nodded.

"Yes. It's getting late; the trains will stop running soon if we don't hurry," Sebastian replied, suddenly surging into motion from his stationary position behind the group. He ushered them down the steps, and the uncomfortable silence among them was broken by quiet conversation amongst themselves as they walked through the surrounding gardens towards the station. Ciel fell back from the lead of the group, and found Sebastian falling in step beside him.

"You want to know how I know that man isn't my father," he didn't have to make it a question, and Sebastian nodded.

"I do. He was an impeccable fake; from what I remember of your father, in a good atmosphere, he was just like the man we saw on stage today. Friendly, open, and quite charming. How are you so sure?"

Ciel smiled softly, before stopping, and Sebastian stopped beside him. He held up his gloved hand to show Sebastian; adorning his left thumb was the very last item that made up his costume – a trinket that they'd found in a small corner jewellery store at the train station to the convention that morning. A silver ring embedded with a fine blue crystal – a cheap fake, but it was oddly comforting.

"Do you what this is supposed to represent in my family?" he asked, and Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"I'm assuming that you're referring to the Hope Diamond, Ciel – the one that was rumoured to be in your fathers possession." He said. Ciel nodded.

"That's right. If there's one thing I remember about my father, it's that he had the Hope Diamond cut to fit the fitting of a silver ring not unlike this one; it was the one thing he would wear at all times besides his wedding ring. Even my delusions and false memories can't possibly make that up."

It took a moment for Sebastian to register what Ciel was saying.

"Wait a moment…"

Ciel nodded, but before he could reply, a shout came from the group – they were all gathered on the sidewalk at the edge of the garden, waiting for the two of them to catch up. Waving back to them, Ciel smiled as he began to walk again, leaving Sebastian standing, slightly dumbfounded, behind him.

"That man wasn't wearing my father's ring."

He heard Sebastian chuckle softly behind him, but didn't stop and turn to look. He knew the smirk the dark haired doctor would be wearing.

"You surprise me more and more everyday, Ciel Phantomhive. You really do."

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

AAALLRIGHTY.

So yeah I kinda jetted away to a convention for four days about a week ago when I supposed to be storyboarding and updating this baby but I kind of didn't.

And I'm sorry. See? This is my sorry face.

What I'm NOT sorry about is the awesome stuff I got! XD

And my amazing steampunk outfit! Big thanks go out to my bestest buddy of all times, **redradrussian** (sadly not here on ff.n), who leant me the goggles to make my masterpiece a success. I got to hang with him and three of my other best friends in the world for both days of the convention, and got to meet a TON of great people along the way.

(and I got a high five from Batman, guys. BATMAN. I don't even LIKE batman, but I got a high five from him! 8D)

ANYWAY. *clears throat* please review, guys. Gimme soma day luuurve y'all got. And maybe I'll update faster ;3

And I'm sorry this chapter was kind of a bummer, filler-inner-chappie without lots of heart-pounding, pulse throbbing excitement. I'm so uncool.

_- Mercy_


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

Gee wizzickers, guys, I sure am glad you all could make it here to read this.

Okay I'll stop with the sucky Jan Valentine jokes before they get profane.

Yeeah…recently I've been getting myself wrapped up in the intensity of Hellsing Ultimate, but I have yet to find the last two episodes of the series on DVD, plus the other two episodes of the Dawn, which has REALLY got my attention. I mean, holy HELL. WALTER. Rrrrr, dat man…so calm, so cruel…rrrr gives me the shivers just thinking about him. I'm considering writing my own Hellsing fanfiction, but I doubt I'll get the characters right, so I'll probably just end up not doing it and reading all the Walter x Alucard fanfictions out there until my eyes bleed.

Anyway. Here is chapter twenty-seven. I mean, like, FUCK. Almost thirty chapters and we're almost halfway through the story. The end is all planned out, just a few minor details to smooth out before I can consider where I'll start the beginning of the end.

In the meantime, read all the mushy sharing of feelings between Ciel and Sebastian! Look at them, all cuddled up together like- OH WAIT THIS ISN'T THE AFTERNOTE, MY BAD. *gets slapped for spoilers*

What are you still doing here. Go read! I've already given you a hint as to what's to come, not that anyone reads these before notes anyhow…

_- Mercy_

…

_I've got another little gimmicky riddle for all of you. See if you can figure it out. It's got to do with the Dispatch case file on Ciel, and Sebastian's laptop. Go for it, crazz-crackers of goodness! And don't forget to gimme all your love in reviews! I like, live on that stuff. Mmmmmmm-_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:** Nine-Six-Four-Nine-Two

**-:-**

First came the knock, and then, the door to his office opened a crack to show the face of Dispatch agent Alan Humphries. The concern on his face knitted his brows together as he peered into the office through his glasses.

"Sir?"

William T Spears looked up from his desk, where there were stacks of paper shuffled messily around, on top of files and folders full of case work of varying contents and importance. The sheet he was in the middle of citing was shoved to the side, and William sighed as he sat upright in his chair.

"What is it, Humphries? Make it brief."

"Uh, w-well, Sir," Alan stepped into the room and gave his superior a quick bow. "It seems that our security team ran into some trouble with a few children on the street this morning. We got a call just a little while ago about some kids slashing their vans tyres, delaying them in getting to the convention."

Will's brow twitched ever so slightly in agitation.

"And?" he asked tersely. Alan swallowed.

"Well, they still made it to the convention and set up security as per your orders, Sir. However it took most of the morning for the mechanic to replace the slashed tyres on the three security vans. Nonetheless, all went according to plan."

"And the Phantomhive child?"

"Ciel Phantomhive and his guardians were in attendance, just as you guessed, Sir." Alan nodded, pulling a report file out from under his arm, and opened it, reading its contents. "Agent Sutcliff reported back that the entire group was there, even the doctor from the London Metro Hospital, Doctor Angeline Red. It appears that they all went undercover as to avoid suspicion, but met some trouble with a couple of Hospital agents."

This news caught Will's ears. "They weren't apprehended?"

Alan shook his head. "No Sir. Agent Sutcliff reported that he felt he was in no position to stage the apprehension alone, as back-up and the security team had yet to arrive. However the group remained at the convention the entire day, and no further hindrances were encountered."

"What about the Hospital agents?"

"They're downstairs in the holding cells. Agents Knox and Slingby arrived on the scene shortly after the dispute between the Phantomhive childs group and the two agents sent to recapture Ciel Phantomhive, however the agents were caught fleeing the convention – they haven't said any more than that the Phantomhive child is more dangerous than he looks." Alan Humphries stepped up to William's desk, and, reaching over the piles of paperwork precariously stacked everywhere, he handed a set of photographs to his superior. William looked over the photos – they were amateur shots, taken at a distance and quite often the image was mostly blurred. However they clearly showed a scene in the main foyer of the convention centre, with a young man dressed in white taking on the Phantomhive child with a rapier, and the Phantomhive boy was holding his own against him while the other agent from the Hospital held a gun on the rest of the group, keeping them at bay, including the infamous Doctor Michaelis.

"So the Hospital agents were apprehended, but nothing was done about the Phantomhive group? Why not?"

"Once again, Sir, Agent Sutcliff apologizes for not taking action, but he feared a reaction from the public should he tried to intervene; especially since it appears that the Phantomhive boy managed to win himself quite a fan club." Alan handed over a few more photographs, and William browsed through them quickly. They were shots of a cafeteria, obviously within the Huxters arena of the convention, and the shots showed Ciel Phantomhive talking with a couple of young girls, signing their shirt collars. He looked nervous, a little surprised, but William only expected that. The boy had, after all, been locked away in an isolation tank for three and a half years. It was only to be expected that he was still getting used to be within this world, this realm of reality, interacting with people. But something caught William's eye in the corner of one of the photos – it was the silver haired young man that been detained at the Dispatch for a short while not that long ago. He was standing in a line a little way off, waiting to be served, but he was watching the Phantomhive boy closely.

"Humphries."

"Yessir?" Alan asked, and William held up the photo.

"This young man." He tapped Pluto's picture with one finger. "Why is he at the convention? If he was detained here, then how would he have known about the Phantomhive groups plans to attend the function?"

Alan looked truly surprised as he readjusted his glasses and took a closer look at the photograph. "I-I don't know, Sir…"

William's expression hardened, and he stood suddenly, his desk chair scooting back harshly over the carpeted floor.

"We may have a leak."

Alan's eyes widened. "Sir, you don't mean – "

"Yes, yes I do." Will turned away from him and out the open window, but Agent Humphries could still see his face reflected in the windows glass. "And if we have a leak, a double agent, then everything we've been planning could go to waste." He turned back to Alan. "Double security on the conference room, Humphries. But do it discreetly."

"Yessir," Alan nodded quickly, hardly in a position to disobey orders. "Is there anything else?"

"No."

Alan looked up, and he was shocked to see a look of disappointment on his superiors face. "S-sir? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing." William quickly straightened himself up. "I'd rather not do this, but I will need to do a thorough investigation of our entire team myself. Suspicion will be raised if its made into a big thing, and we might find ourselves becoming more and more deserted of agents more each day. We can't afford to lose any more officers, unless they're the culprits."

"D-do you want me to help you, Sir?"

William shook his head. "No. But I will trust you to keep this quiet from the other agents, Humphries. Word moves faster than sound in a place like this, and I won't be sure who I can trust until I get to the bottom of this. It can't be coincidence that this man, Pluto, who is a collaborator of the Phantomhive group, just _happened_ to turn up at the convention along with the Phantomhive group itself. He must have gotten inside information while he was here, somehow."

Alan nodded. "Of course, Sir. Will that be all?"

The question hung in the air with the silence for a moment, and it seemed as if William was having in internal conflict with himself. But Alan didn't press the matter, merely awaited an answer. Finally, his superior sighed and waved him away.

"Yes, that's all. Now go. Your first objective is the security of the conference room – from now on, there will be no one privy to the future plans of the Nine-Six-Four-Nine-Two Case besides myself and the very closest of our agents. That includes Agents Slingby, Knox, Sutcliff and yourself." William said, and Alan bowed to William's back and collected up the photographs scattered on Williams desk before retreating out of the office without another word.

As he headed down the hallway to the elevator, Alan eyed everyone he passed. There were several agents that could be potential suspects of being double agents, he reasoned. Everyone had their secrets here. He wondered who William suspected – obviously, he trusted Eric, Ronald, Grell and Alan himself enough to keep them in the loop of the case. This would mean dramatically changing the current plans for the future of the case; either that, or making undercover plans that would be executed in secret from the rest of the Dispatch Society. With a sigh, Alan stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the lower levels – he had an interrogation to attend with Eric, and the whole idea of a double agent was just making his head spin.

He gazed up at the ceiling of the lift on his way down, up at the fluorescent lights that lit the elevators interior with a cold, blue-ish glow. Who could be trusted? Who could be suspected? Who was leaking top secret information to the Phantomhive group? Mulling over the questions, he found himself absently running his fingers over the case file that had been tucked back under his arm. The file was only ever taken out of its secure location in a safe in the vaults of the Dispatch, deep underground, when it was crucially needed. Alan had been filing the reports from Grell away in the vaults when he had read their contents; he thought it vital that William was briefed of the situation in person – besides, his next task after filing the reports had been to inform Will that the two agents from the Hospital had scheduled for an interrogation any moment now. Checking his watch, Alan sighed as the elevator finally dinged its destination, an automated voice chirping from the speaker up in one corner that he had reached his desired floor.

Taking the case file out from under his arm, Alan looked over the well-worn, hand-written words that labelled the thick manila folder that was full of official documents, witness reports, hospital testimonies and medical files on the entire Phantomhive group. First, it had only contained entries about Ciel Phantomhive, the boy who had mysteriously died three and a half years ago. The Dispatch had begun a more thorough investigation after the suspicious disappearance and supposed suicide of Doctor Sebastian Michaelis; his medical file was soon also added to the folder, along with his entire medical team – another doctor, Bardroy Atkins-Brown; a nurse, Mey-Rin Maddigan; and a young intern, Finnian McInnes. They had all disappeared off the face of the earth roughly a month after Ciel Phantomhive died. Now they had all reappeared – along with the mysterious young man Pluto, who was rumoured to have been a mechanic for the Hospitals less reputable machinery needs. Alan didn't know how many more allies the group had tucked up their sleeves, or how they had all escaped from the Hospital in the first place.

Heading down the hallway towards the interrogation room, Alan thought about the name the case had been christened with. Nine-Six-Four-Nine-Two. The case files label was originally scrawled in a Japanese print, back when there had been a connection with the Dispatch agents in the Tokyo branch of the organization. But the links between them had become severed after the financial break-off with the London branches government benefactors, officially setting the London branch up as an independent agency, working on its own resources and funding. Beneath the Japanese print on the label, someone had written the English translation of the case file number beneath the original print. Alan had excelled in his other languages classes in school and throughout university, and could fluently speak seven different languages by the time he was twenty-four, including Japanese, when he was recruited to work for the Dispatch. He knew the meaning to the case file name, and he knew how it read in Japanese. He knew exactly why it had been titled those numbers; they reflected upon the very first piece of evidence the Dispatch had procured from the Hospital regarding Ciel Phantomhives disappearance.

He stopped just short of the door that would take him into the interrogation room, and a door room that housed a side room that had a sheet of one-way glass dividing the two rooms opened, and another agent, several years his senior, stepped out. He had a mop of blonde hair combed to one side of his head, a set of dark cornrows plaited up the other side. His tired eyes caught sight of Alan from behind his blue-tinted glasses, and stretched with a yawn as he straightened up.

"So." Eric Slingby said, and Alan nodded. They turned and faced the interrogation room door together. Just beyond it, was the first of the Hospital agents, waiting the interrogating they were about to deliver unto him. Alan had glanced over the report before he'd headed up to tell William – first up was an agent by the name of Charles Phipps. "Ready?"

Alan took a deep breath, before reaching for the steel door handle. "As I'll ever be. Let's get this done."

**-:-**

Dinner that night had consisted of a variety of take-out. First, Finnian had opted for pizza. Bardroy and Pluto had wanted something Chinese. Mey-Rin had suggested sushi, which Sebastian had agreed with because of being slightly more healthy than the previous options. Ciel had sat back and watched them argue over take-out menus and phone numbers for various places, thinking not so much about his stomach but more on the Hope Piece diamond of his fathers. Now, he was sitting with a plastic cup of lemonade on the small side-table beside him as he curled up in one of them plush armchairs of the hotel room they were all sharing for the two-day convention, Sebastian's laptop balanced on his lap as he worked his way through his second slice of pizza. In the end, the group had agreed on pizza and sushi, leaving the Chinese take-out for another day.

Ciel had discovered that browsing the internet was a fascinating past-time, and despite some early on issues with figuring out how to work the machine without making it freeze up and fail to work properly after a couple of keyboard-smashingly frustrating incidents with Pluto hovering over his shoulder showing him how it all worked, Ciel found working the laptop surprisingly easy once he got the hang of it. So for the rest of the evening, he had been browsing the internet, tentatively tapping in commands and searching them up. It was almost like browsing through a library; a sea of information, and it was all there, it was all just a matter of being specific enough with his searches to come up with what he wanted.

First on his list of things to investigate was what had happened three and a half years ago, before the experiments had begun.

_Childrens Hospital London Dispatch Association investigation – Dispatch agent death, _and _Sebastian Michaelis._

At the press of a button, a list of viable options lit up the search page screen. Ciel wished he had known the real name of the Hospital, instead of just calling it 'The Hospital' all the time. Luckily, a familiar name came up in one of the search tag descriptions;

"Karnstein Children's Hospital Investigation: Agent's Accidental Death"

Ciel was drawn in by the name 'Karnstein'. It sounded like something he had once investigated as the Queens Watchdog, but the memories were fading more and more each day. He clicked on the link and a news article appeared. Skim-reading it, he got a very basic outsiders look at what Grell and Pluto had told him about what had happened to the Dispatch agent that Sebastian had murdered, but had covered the murder to make it look like an accident. Apparently the agent had suffered a snapped spinal column after tripping up on a concrete curb; his neck broken as he hit a garden bed wall sharply, his death instantaneous. There was no suspicious evidence that he had been purposefully killed, and the conclusion was that he had tripped and fallen whilst doing some outside investigation.

Ciel felt something turn over in his stomach – and it wasn't pizza. Sebastian had told him that he had been the one to kill that agent – he hadn't tried to deny it or cover it up to Ciel; he had been honest. That mans death was the basis of Grell and Sebastian's truce. There were only select few people who knew the truth behind the agents death; Ciel could count them off on one hand. Himself, Sebastian, Grell, and Pluto. He didn't know if Bardroy, Mey-Rin and Finnian knew, but they all seemed to be completely oblivious to Sebastian's darker nature, seeing only the role-model doctor, and the charming, badass man who had rescued Ciel – no, technically, he had rescued all of them – from the hell that was the Hospital. They idolised him and followed his word to the letter, but he wasn't just a god in their eyes. He was a friend. Ciel wondered if he could ever truly stop imagining Sebastian as his butler – he still had moments where Sebastian would hand him something, tell him some titbit of information, and Ciel would see in him the daintily dressed butler with the kind eyes and the smirk on his lips. But reality was harsher to bear; Sebastian was still sporting a few cuts and scrapes on his arms from a few weeks ago when he and Ciel had taken the tumble from their ab-sailing expedition down the side of the hotel wall and into the skip full of picture frames and the mattress. And Ciel had seen a couple of deeper cuts that marred Sebastian's body, too; on his chest and his abdomen, on his back – wounds that he kept hidden from the others, cleaned and bandaged in his own time after he thought Ciel had fallen asleep.

But Ciel found himself watching Sebastian now, as the raven-haired doctor reclined in one of the other armchairs, watching the TV and making quiet conversation with Bardroy, and he thought back to one time, only a few days ago, when he and Sebastian had been sharing the room in Lau's opium den. Ciel had woken quietly in the middle of the night, and looked over to Sebastian's side of the bed. The doctor had been typing something into the laptop, the screens brightness turned all the way to the very lowest setting as to not disturb Ciel's slumber. After watching Sebastian for a while, Ciel had almost fallen back to sleep, but Sebastian had yawned and stretched, before setting the portable computer aside to stand up and stretch again. He'd removed his shirt, revealing his ghostly pale skin to the shadows and the moonlight that spilt across it. He'd been wearing a bandage around his midriff that he had proceeded to change, revealing that the wound was actually on his lower back, just around his right hip. He had silently swabbed the deep, slowly healing graze that marred the otherwise flawless skin, save for the brand mark on his left side. Then, he had re-bandaged himself with a fresh dressing, slid out of his jeans and into a softer T-shirt, before gingerly climbing into the bed beside Ciel. There had been enough space between them that Ciel couldn't feel Sebastian's body heat, but as the doctor closed down his laptop and set it aside, settling down for the night, he had been lulled back to sleep by Sebastian's calm breathing, the soft rustling of the blankets between them as the doctor made himself comfortable.

It took a lot for Ciel to remember that, despite everything that the man was capable of, Sebastian was still only human. He wondered if Sebastian was plagued by the guilt of killing someone so that he might live. If Sebastian had been the one who had been killed by the agent, would any of this have happened? Ciel shook the thought from his head – he vaguely remembered a time in his past life where Sebastian had supposedly died. It had been planned, he thought, but still, the shock of seeing his butler laying dead on the floor with a fire poker stabbed through his abdomen and his blood splattered across the carpet was enough to send Ciel's mind reeling. And despite how he felt now, intimidated and a bit scared of Sebastian, distancing himself, he knew that if Sebastian were to die or be killed, his whole world would collapse. Ciel was almost startled as he realized that his whole existence of the last three years had been determined by Sebastian Michaelis – there wasn't a decision that was made without the mans consent, there wasn't a hesitation or action without thought of consequence. He depended on Sebastian more now than ever before.

"What's with the face kiddo?"

Pluto almost made Ciel jumped a foot out of his armchair – waking him from his dazed stare, he realized that, while everyone else was preoccupied with the television, Pluto had noticed Ciel mindlessly staring off into space. Ciel glanced around – everyone else's eyes were still on the TV – but Sebastian was watching him curiously.

"Uh – n-nothing. Don't scare me like that." Ciel grumbled, feeling his face heat up. "I was just thinking, that's all."

Pluto chuckled softly. "Well don't think too hard, kid. Smoke'll start comin' out of your ears." Then, he straightened up and addressed the rest of the room. "I'm gonna hit the hay for the night – see you all in the morning."

Bardroy, Mey-Rin and Finni waved and bid him goodnight, and soon after Pluto had disappeared, they began to yawn and stretch as well. It wasn't long before they too were retiring, and Sebastian agreed that it was time to call it a night. He and Ciel were sharing a double bed in a private bedroom of the hotel room, and the others were sharing a room of four singles designed for a large family mostly consisting of children. As he made his way over to the door to the private bedroom, Sebastian's eyes fell on Ciel, who looked up from the laptop again, closing the search window featuring the article, to meet his gaze.

"Coming?"

"In a moment," Ciel nodded. "I just want to finish reading something first."

Sebastian nodded and silently left the room, leaving Ciel alone. In the other bedroom, he could hear the sounds of the others readying themselves for bed, and now that the TV had been switched off, peace settled around him. He knew he should get some rest too, but there was something that he wanted to look at before he did. Some part of him felt guilty for what he was about to do, but the other part of him reasoned that it was probably going to be worthwhile.

He opened the start window of Sebastian's laptop, where he was greeted by a list of program icons and a search bar at the bottom. He opened a folder labelled 'Documents', and quickly browsed its contents. The documents within it were mostly uninteresting; some were old records from before Sebastian came to work at the Karnstein Children's Hospital, some were old medical essays, notes on gene splicing and DNA transfusions and artificial cell replications – the last couple of things that Ciel looked over all contained big words that he didn't understand, along with diagrams of things he couldn't explain. He moved through them quickly, not wanting to know what they all meant – he dreaded what they might contain, and was glad for his lack of scientific and medical knowledge.

He happened upon a folder that was merely titled, 'Ciel', with no tags, no descriptions, and no way for Ciel to know what was inside. He clicked to open the file, but a pop-up appeared on the screen.

**File is Password Protected; please enter your password:**

Ciel blinked dumbly at the pop-up, realizing that he had no idea what Sebastian might use for a password. It could be anything; the name of a pet or a friend, a birth date – anything. He tentatively typed in a couple of attempts, but each one was rejected with a "_Password Incorrect; please enter your password_" message. Finally, he gave up, and went back to browsing the folders before quickly becoming bored and frustrated. He knew he shouldn't be sneaking through Sebastian's personal files, but his curiosity wanted so badly to know what was tucked away behind the five-digit password-protected folder that was merely labelled with his own name. Relenting and shutting the laptop down, Ciel figured that it probably had something to do with him as a patient and test subject under the Hospital's experimental program.

Sighing, he unfolded his legs from beneath him and stood, crossing over to the door to the bedroom that he and Sebastian shared. Sebastian had insisted that he and Ciel share a room, for safety sake. Slipping through the door and flicking off the other rooms light behind him, Ciel turned to see Sebastian already sitting on the bed, waiting for him.

"Finished?"

"Yup," Ciel set the laptop down beside Sebastian's other meagre belongings, all packed away neatly into a relatively average bag on the floor next to Sebastian's side of the bed. The doctor didn't have much with him besides a wallet, a mobile phone, his costumes for the convention, a few spare shirts and pairs of slacks, plus a few pairs of underwear and socks. Stepping over to his own bag of sparse belongings, Ciel pulled off the jumper he'd been wearing and traded in his new jeans that his aunt and he had gone shopping for about a week previously and into a softer pair of slacks, before climbing up onto the large bed beside the doctor.

He looked over at Sebastian, and the moonlight caught a glint of something silver resting at the hollow of Sebastian's throat, right between his collarbones.

"H-hey, what's that?" Ciel reached over, curious, but Sebastian blinked and quickly tucked the pendant under his shirt. It was on a silver chain that Ciel had seen hung around Sebastian's neck many times – in fact, Ciel wondered if it was something that Sebastian never took off – but Ciel had never actually caught sight of the pendant itself. "Hey! What is it?"

"It's nothing." Sebastian said gruffly. "Go to sleep."

"No! Show me!" Ciel demanded, grabbing the doctors shoulder and pulling him back to face him as he tried to turn away. Sebastian objected, trying to push Ciel's hands away, and the two struggled for a moment before the pendant finally fell into Ciel's grasp, and the dark haired doctor relented with a sigh.

"Fine."

Ciel barely heard him – he was staring at the design of the pendant. A circular shape, the outer edge engraved to look like small spikes, digging like small prickles into the skin of his palm. The silver crest on the pendant was set against a sapphire blue backing, but it was the crest itself that had caught him completely off-guard.

It was a pentagram. A silver, five-pointed star. The whole pendant was exactly the same shape and design as the Faustian contract marking that Ciel had bore on his eye in the fake reality, when Sebastian had been a demon, the same marking emblazoned on the back of his left hand.

"This is…this…"

Sebastian didn't look him in the eye. Ciel couldn't tear his gaze away from the pendant. It took a long moment of very stunned silence for either of them to come up with something to say.

"Are you okay?"

Sebastian's question made Ciel wonder; was he? He was staring at the same marking that Sebastian had previously claimed didn't exist, and yet here it was, plain as day, hanging from a thin silver Italian chain around Sebastian's neck. He didn't know if this discovery was making him feel…okay.

"I…where….where did you get this?" Ciel found the words tumbling from his lips in nothing more than a whisper, and it took a moment for the doctor to reply.

"I've had it for a long time. Since before I graduated from high school." He said quietly.

"You said this didn't exist. You lied to me." Ciel to feel angry. He wanted to be so furious at Sebastian, but for some reason, he felt nothing but shock.

"I never lied to you. I told you that Faustian contract markings were myth." The doctor said firmly. "But I didn't lie."

"You tried to hide it from me."

"I didn't know how you'd react to seeing it."

"Why, Sebastian?! _Tell me why!_" Ciel demanded, and Sebastian took a long, deep breath, before exhaling slowly. He took Ciel gently by the shoulders and made him sit back, the pendant falling from Ciel's fingers and landing with a soft thud against the skin of Sebastian's throat.

"All right. This pendant is the one thing that I need to bond us together, as Keeper and Subject." He began, and Ciel watched him quizzically.

"What?"

"Before the experiments began," Sebastian classified. "We were each sent in to see Drocell Keinz for the memory suppression before any of the Subjects were submerged and the experiments commenced. He was to link us by something that was significant to one of us; that thing would then be a recurring theme throughout the experiments – something the patient would always be able to associate their Keeper with. The thing I used was the only personal possession I had on me at the time; this."

Ciel listened closely, but he felt numb.

"So…I…"

"You must have associated the contract marking you received in your hallucinations with this; this was what linked the two of us together as Keeper and Subject, and in your mind, as master and servant." Sebastian explained carefully, and Ciel found himself nodding along, and while he was registering what Sebastian said, he was wondering if he believed it or not. "Are you all right? Ciel?"

Swallowing hard, Ciel nodded again. "I'm…I'm okay. I guess…I guess I was just surprised to see it again, after all this time."

"That's understandable," Sebastian said gently. "I haven't been purposefully hiding it from you, but I've been careful to not bring it to your attention, just in case it stirred some of your suppressed memories very suddenly, which could be detrimental to your health. How do you feel?"

Ciel blinked slowly. "Um…rattled? A bit uneasy…I guess it's a real call back for me."

"It must be," the doctor nodded sympathetically. "And I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I'm going to keep an eye on you for a while, to make sure you're not displaying any signs of mental anxiety or distress because of this."

"Wouldn't I be able to tell?" Ciel quirked an eyebrow, managing a small smile, and whilst he returned the smirk, Sebastian's words were serious.

"You might not even realize its happening," he said. "Shock has a funny way of making one oblivious to what's happening inside of them. If something is too painful, or too frightening, then sometimes the mind will simply not see it, not register it. It can make you suffer without even know what's going on."

"Oh," Ciel breathed. "What do we do now, then?"

Sebastian glanced at the clock sitting on the bedside cabinet. "I'd suggest we try to get some sleep. It's late and we have a cosplay competition tomorrow, remember?" his expression softened, and Ciel nodded, relishing the feeling of the tension leaving the air. He felt better, but he was aware of Sebastian watching him as he crawled beneath the covers.

"Okay. Good night, Sebastian."

"Sleep well, Ciel."

Sebastian turned out the bedside lamp, and slid beneath the blankets beside Ciel, and Ciel found himself being dragged under by the need for sleep soon after, too tired to think any further on the subject.

**-:-**

It was a little bit after three-thirty in the morning when Ciel had awoken, disturbing Sebastian from his slumber. The boy had been in the fits of a nightmare, blabbling and crying and crying out his name, and Sebastian had scooped the young teen into his arms, hushing him and soothing him, wiping the tears away and stroking the boys hair to calm him. Ciel had been dreaming of being experimented on, and the gut-wrenching nightmare had been so bad he'd woken to try and escape it. So Sebastian had been there, to quiet him and to assure him that he was no longer there, he wasn't going to be used as some kind of plaything by anyone ever again.

Sometime after, the boy had fallen asleep again, dozing in Sebastian's arms as the doctor remained awake to make sure that he would be ready should the boy begin to have bad dreams again. As he watched the slate-haired child in his arms, eyes lidded shut and fingers still curled into Sebastian's shirt, Sebastian ran his hand soothingly over the boys hair, a relaxing motion that had helped the boy to rest. The child looked so helpless, so…so peaceful, that Sebastian had almost been able to convince himself that the past weeks had almost been a dream in itself. It seemed like an eternity ago that they'd broken out of the Karnstein Hospital, once and for all. It seemed like a century ago that Ciel had awoken properly for the first time in three and a half years, demanding answers and blabbering nonsense about butlers and demons and earls and the like.

Well…it wasn't _quite_ nonsense.

Sebastian sighed, and thought back on their last conversation – he hadn't lied to Ciel about the pentagram pendant that he wore; everything he'd said had been true. It was just that…well, maybe Sebastian hadn't told him _everything_ about that day when Ciel's memories had been repressed by the young Doctor Keinz.

…

_The air was filled with noise, clatter, and the distinct smell of cleaning agents and antiseptics. Doctors and nurses followed by technicians and engineers were swarming around everything, making last-minute adjustments to their machines and equipment. Sebastian had been standing in line for about an hour already, and there were still several Keepers to go before the first night of the project commenced. Sitting at his side in a wheelchair, was the ten-year-old Ciel Phantomhive. The boys head was lolled to one side, his eyes half-lidded, his whole body relaxed, a drip attached to his arm, connected to a liquid pack hooked up to the side of his chair. Drugged. Sebastian had despised administering the anaesthetic, but he knew that for this to work, it had to be done. _

_Not that he wanted it done, mind. This went against every moral and ethical point of view that he possessed. He cautiously eyed the security guards that were dotted around the large facility floor. They were the only reason he hadn't already pulled out the handgun that was tucked in his waistband and started shooting the mad idiots that ran this place at point blank range. If he could, he would save the children. Every single one of them. And, he thought as he looked down at Ciel Phantomhive, doped up to his eyelids in the wheelchair next to him, this boy would be the very first one to be saved. The sweet natured boy who didn't deserve any of what was about to happen to him. The polite kid who always smiled at him when he had entered the ward every morning with his morning dose of medication for his pneumonia. This was a fate worse than the death that had been publicised on the TV, all over the news and the papers. But Ciel Phantomhive was going to be Sebastian's salvation. The proof of what had occurred here. The reason for him to go through with this in the first place._

"_Next!" a security guard called, and Sebastian straightened up from where he'd been leaning against the wall, and as he sighed, a stream of cigarette smoke spiralled away from his lips; the lit smoke between his teeth burning silently. Sebastian readjusted the file of papers he had tucked under one arm, and took hold of the wheelchairs handlebars, steering Ciel over to the doorway where the security guard was standing, ready to usher them inside._

"_Doctor Michaelis reporting," he said, making his voice as bored and as monotone as he could. The security guard stopped him before he wheeled Ciel into the next room._

"_One moment, doctor. Smoking is strictly prohibited in this facility. Please stop that at once."_

_Narrowing his eyes at the man, Sebastian silently dared the guard to be the one to act first. Ever since he'd been brought down here, to save Ciel's life, to become a part of this insane operation, he had been the one doctor to break the rules. Smoking just to piss everyone off – it wasn't even as if he liked it. Staying behind after-hours instead of returning to the quarters designated to him, hiding in the supply closet until after the facility had been locked up at night. Everyone knew that Sebastian Michaelis was the defiant one. Even the Directors. But everyone also knew that no one stopped Sebastian Michaelis in his acts of defiance. Rumour had it that the accident with the Dispatch agent hadn't been so accidental, but nothing had been confirmed. But Sebastian was no longer the pleasant, smiling Devil Doctor, known for having all the answers and cures to any ailment. He was bitter. He snarled at his co-workers; he lashed out in random acts of violence against security. But they kept him on as a doctor, merely because he was the best they had. And they all knew that if they let him go, his patient-turned-subject, Ciel Phantomhive, would die for sure._

_Sebastian took his time about removing the cigarette from between his teeth. He blew one last puff of the foul tasting smoke, right into the security guards face, causing the man to cough and splutter, before simply stubbing the cigarette out against the guards security vest, grinding the fag into the Kevlar before letting it fall to the ground. The security guard growled at him, clenching his teeth._

"_You asshole – " he began, about to launch a fist at Sebastian, who merely turned his back on the man, wheeling Ciel through the doorway into the next room._

"_If you have a problem with my smoking, you're free to shove it up your own ass," Sebastian responded boredly, tossing the packet of cigarettes from the pocket of his white lab coat over his shoulder at the security guard, who fumbled to catch the pack of rolled tobacco sticks. Sebastian could hear the snickers of some of the other guards and even a few of the other Keepers who were still waiting in line, but he ignored them. He didn't care if they looked up to him, not only for his intellectual prowess, but also for his uncaring nature towards everyone else. He knew that they idolised him for being the rebellious one; the one they all wanted to be able to be like, but none of them had the guts._

"_Spineless cowards." He muttered, just as he was greeted by a young face of the psychotherapist who was to be the one conducting the next stage of the procedure._

"_Doctor Michaelis?" a pale hand was extended towards him, and Sebastian only shook it out of courtesy. "My name is Doctor Drocell Keinz. This way please."_

_The young man with the orange hair led him to a quiet corner of the room, which was really a ward with all of the beds removed and all the curtains drawn to allow the occupants – other Keepers with their Subjects going through the same procedure that Sebastian was about to step into – a degree of privacy. Once behind the curtain of one bed space, Drocell drew the curtain behind them and took a seat at a makeshift desk, gesturing politely for Sebastian to sit in the other chair opposite. Bringing Ciel's wheelchair to a stop next to the chair, Sebastian sat with a sigh._

"_Let's get this over with. You're the one handling the memory suppression?" he asked, and Doctor Keinz nodded._

"_Yes. I have a few other co-workers here with me to help the proceedings go faster, but we will no be interrupted." He replied. "Shall we begin?"_

_In response, Sebastian tossed down the file of papers into the desk, and Drocell scooped them up, briefly reading the contents._

"_Ah, your submersion plan. Good, good." There was quiet between them for a moment as Doctor Keinz continued to read, before briefly glancing up at Sebastian. "This is…rather complex. A simple concept, but there are layers and layers of complexity here. Your bibliography contains very extensive research into the material you're planning on working with – a very thorough job."_

"_So give me something more interesting to do on a long night when I have to stay awake in case the kid needs anything," Sebastian shrugged, and Drocell nodded._

"_Your research is flawless – I say, you've even studied up on the history of your subject material – quoting several specialists and historians on the topic, covering all aspects. You've even got a pin-pointed time stamp." Keinz looked up at him again, setting the papers down. "I don't think any of the other Keepers have come up with anything this…this deep, Doctor. Are you sure you can handle this?"_

_Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "The other Keepers are going for much broader range of experimentation. I'm keeping this as focussed as possible."_

"_I see," Keinz nodded. "I assume you are the Keeper that everyone is talking about, the one who is against these experiments?"_

"_The one and only."_

"_Well, then because you have such a sharp focus on your subject, then you should have relatively smooth sailing once everything has been established. You shouldn't have to worry, but if you are successful, you will have to be careful."_

"_Careful?"_

_Drocell nodded, and listened quietly for a moment for any sounds outside the curtain that divided them from the rest of the ward, before leaning in a little closer. "I have recently finished the memory suppression of Subject number Twelve, Alois Trancy. Keeper Faustus' handed me a file that was a blatant copy of your work – I can tell that yours is of an original mind because of your thoroughness. It was as if I was reading a test paper that a student had hurriedly copied off the person next to him."_

"_What?!" Sebastian leant forward, suddenly all ears. Faustus…the bastard. Sebastian knew he was trouble, but he hadn't thought that Claude would go so far as to copy his work. The work he'd put so much time and effort into. Damn that man._

"_Keep this to yourself, Doctor Michaelis, please," Keinz urged. "Keeper Faustus' work is not as deeply explored as yours is, and I guarantee that you will have far more success in your endeavours than he will. Than any other Keeper, I will wager. But keep a careful eye on your Subject once the experimental procedures commence; Keeper Faustus may try to butt in on your work if he sees that you are having more success than he is."_

_Sebastian nodded, and Doctor Keinz slid the papers back across the desk to him._

"_Well, if that's it, then let's get this done." He said, and Keinz nodded in agreement, and they turned to the boy who had been sitting next to them in the wheelchair beside them the whole time, completely oblivious to the world around him. _

"_Very well. First, we will need to establish a firm mental bond between Keeper and Subject. Research has proven that a symbolic memento often is key when binding two people together like this; do you have something that he might clearly recognize you and associate yourself and his safety with?"_

_Sebastian thought for a moment, watching Ciel silently. The boy looked like he was dreaming, of some far-off place, probably a hundred miles away from here. He thought back to the very last conversation they'd had before the Hospital staffed had disappeared Ciel._

'_Hey,' the boy croaked, and Sebastian paused in the doorway._

'_Yes?'_

'_That pendant on your chain – what does it mean, Doctor Michaelis?' the question was innocent enough, and Sebastian looked down at it._

'_It's a pentagram. A cursed symbol meant to mark out evil spirits from good ones.' He said. Well, that was one interpretation of the marking. The pendant had been given to him on the first day of high school, by a friend who had been moving away with their family. A gift to remember them by. Sebastian had been sad to see his friend leave, but his friend had been plagued by illness since they were very young, and upon bidding farewell to his friend, Sebastian had sworn to them that he would become a doctor, to find a cure for their illness. Later that year he'd heard news of his friends death at the cruel hands of their sickness, and since then Sebastian had thrown himself into his studies, vowing to save others in hopes to redeem himself for not having enough time to save his friend. The boys curiosity had made him reflect back on that moment, reading in the newspaper, in the classifieds section, of his friends death. _

'_Oh.' Ciel said softly from his place under the covers of the hospital bed. 'Why do you wear it?'_

_Sebastian didn't want to divulge the boy in the real reason why, so instead, he faked a smile and asked, 'You know how the other doctors here refer to me as the Devil Doctor?'_

'_Yes?'_

_Keeping that same fake smile plastered to his face, Sebastian continued. 'Well, by wearing this, I show them that this place is already taken. No evil spirits will come here, to harm you, or any of the other patients. I stand guard here to ward them away.'_

'_That's weird,' the ten year old boy murmured, slowly surrendering to sleep. Sebastian could see that the child could barely keep his eyes open. 'A demon safeguarding kids from other demons. It's…kinda…ironic, I think…'_

_Sebastian smiled, more genuinely this time, knowing that the boy couldn't see his face, the childs eyes closed, and Sebastian's face masked by the shadows of the room even as light poured over his frame from the lighting of the hallway. The light switch to the ward had already been turned off, and, whispering a silent goodnight to the child, Sebastian stepped out of the ward._

_Coming back to the here and now of the situation, Sebastian's train of thought was derailed as Keinz cleared his throat._

"_Doctor Michaelis?"_

_Without speaking, Sebastian reached up and pulled the long, silver chain up and over his head, untangling it from the slightly longer strands of his silky black hair, the heavy pentagram pendant swinging this way and that as he set it down on the makeshift desk in front of Doctor Keinz._

"_This will do," the redheaded doctor said softly, and Sebastian barely heard him as he began to suppress the boys memories, strange words falling from his lips, catching Ciel Phantomhives attention, hypnotizing him, showing him the pendant. Over and over again Sebastian heard his name being said. He heard the words that he'd written on the paper in the file on the desk being said, Drocell slowly over-writing the memories the ten year old child had with the new, false ones._

_He tried to ignore the guilt and the shame welling up in his gut._

…

The sleeping form of the boy next to him shifted slightly, but did not wake. Sebastian cast his eyes down over the thirteen year old again, gingerly rubbing strands of the boys slate hair between his fingers. He'd never be able to admit to Ciel just how much he hated himself for allowing the child to be put through all the trauma, all the stress – _everything_. He'd rather have killed himself than let this happen. He had tried, but had been stopped. Bardroy had found him in the mens bathroom once, cowering against the cold tiles on the floor, gun to his head, shaking uncontrollably. He had been such a coward. But the blonde doctor had told him that he couldn't give up. Ciel Phantomhive, Mey-Rin, Finnian, Pluto and Bardroy needed. He was the one who had all the answers. How could he, their leader, abandon them because of his own selfish cowardice?

Sebastian rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, and forced himself to relax into the pillows beneath his back. He wasn't a coward. He was Sebastian Michaelis. Not the Devil Doctor anymore; not even the amazing, demonic butler that Ciel had dreamt of.

Almost out of old habit, he reached down into the bag of his belongings, rummaging around with one hand, gently as to not disturb Ciel from his slumber, before coming up with what he had been looking for. He tapped a cigarette free from its packet and stuck it between his teeth. He didn't bother lighting it – just the tactile feel of the rolled paper resting between his lips made him feel better. Relaxed. He could get through this, because the boy in his arms was the one and only thing that he had left to work for, to save.

Ciel Phantomhive was his goddamn salvation, and Sebastian knew it.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

Hey howdy everyone – boy, this chapter was much longer than I expected it to be. Took me about three days to write it, but more like a week to get around to writing the damn thing.

SO TELL ME. can you guess the significance of the case file on Ciel that the Dispatch has? And anyone want to hazard a guess at what Sebastian's password for that file is?

One other note before I sign off til the next chapter; for those who are wondering about the pentagram pendant that Sebastian wears, it actually exists. I found it as a key-chain thingo at an anime store while I was up at the convention a few weeks ago now, and I wear it quite a bit since I took it off the key-chain and put it onto an actual silver chain.

It looks better on Sebastian, though.

_- Mercy_

By the way. I hate to sound like I'm begging but can we get about ten or so reviews for this chapter at least? One of the problems I've been having is that I'm unmotivated in writing when I get the chance to, so with your encouragement I could get more chapters out faster.

Oh yeah, and one more thing: day two of the Steampunk Convention is about to commence, and we're going to be having a VERY special cameo appearance from one of our readers; a special treat for guessing a handful of characters a couple of chapters back: I'd like everyone to give a warm welcome to **Rupanzel **(A.k.a, _Anna_) when she appears in the next chapter of the story!

Keep your eyes out for her!


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

I've been sick. It started with a pain in my chest that landed me in the emergency ward for three hours on Monday, but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong, so they concluded it was probably muscular. Went to work the next day, came home with a bleeding headache. Went to bed that night, had a terrible fever, head trying to rip itself in two whenever I moved. Sleep was not kind enough to make the night of agony go quickly. So I spent all of yesterday laying up in bed, doped up on painkillers and tea that tasted like crap (when you're sick, _everything_ tastes like crap, I haven't eaten in two days, bleh), writing this when it no longer felt like I was going to pass out whenever I turned my head from side to side. And I've also lost my voice today, which made working with costumers LOTS of fun.

Seriously. It was ridiculous.

Find something wrong with me _now_, doc, I dare you to.

Okay. I'll stop whinging. Sorry guys :/ enjoy this late chapter that really should have been up ages ago. Don't forget to review.

ALSO! My sincerest apologies go out to **Rupanzel**, because yes, I know I said your cameo appearance would happen in this chapter, but by the time I got to the point where I wanted to include you, it was just getting too long and too hectic in the chapter, and so your cameo appearance will happen at the beginning of the chapter after this one.

Please don't hate me or throw things at me :'c

_- Mercy_

…

_When ones head is in the clouds, ones heart gets wet._

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight:** Courageous Futility

**-:-**

The morning sunlight streaming in his window was what woke Ciel the next morning – and the very first thing he was aware of was the raised voices that were coming from the next room. The second thing was the lack of Sebastian's presence. Jerking upright, Ciel scanned the room with eyes wide – where was Sebastian? Had someone from the Hospital or the Dispatch found their hotel room? What was going on? He froze, listening for the voices again – yes, that was definitely Sebastian's voice outside. His tone was hard, stern – Bardroy said something, but the words were muffled through the walls and the door that separated Ciel from them.

Scrambling up and tugging on a jacket over his nightshirt, Ciel crept over to the door, pressing one ear against it, listening intently for the voices before slowly twisting the door handle and pushing the door open. From the sliver he could see through, he saw that there was someone unfamiliar standing in the hotel lounge room – a stranger that he hadn't seen before.

She had short, straight hair that fell in bangs around her face, her right eye hidden by her chestnut fringe. She wore boys clothes that sat loosely on her figure, as if they were hand-me-downs from an older brother. She was arguing with Bardroy.

"You can't!"

"This is his only chance to do this!" the blonde man was growling, and Ciel could see Finnian and Mey-Rin standing at Bard's side, Pluto perched on the arm of one of the armchairs nearby, staying quiet. Sebastian was standing between the girl and Bardroy, seemingly keeping them from lunging at each other.

"It's too dangerous! He'll be an easy target and we won't be able t'help ya!" she said, her cockney accent thick.

"And you'd squander the poor kids only chance to be reunited with his father?!" Bardroy cried, leaning forward, only to be pushed back by Sebastian's firm hand squarely on his chest.

"Bard!" the raven haired doctor snapped. "This is for his own good."

"Bardroy's right, though," Mey-Rin said feebly, and they turned to look at her. "We might not have another go at this."

"But he's already made it clear that the man we saw yesterday _wasn't_ Vincent Phantomhive." Pluto spoke up, earning himself a glare from Bardroy.

"That doesn't mean he has to give up! What if he doesn't remember his old man right? What if this Phantomhive fella is different to what Ciel remembers?" Bardroy objected.

The strange girl shook her head furiously. "Ye gotta trust us when we say its not 'im! For yer own good, please, Mista Sebastian, I'm beggin' ye – _don't let Ciel onto stage!_"

Ciel tried to remember where he'd seen her before – she looked so familiar; the angry slash of her brow, the spray of freckles across her young face…it hit him suddenly, and he stepped out from the bedroom, making his presence known to everyone. They all stopped to look up at him, and the girl turned around to face him, seeing everyone else fall silent at his appearance.

"Ciel! _Ciel Phantomhive!_" she cried, almost tripping over herself to get to him.

"Freckles!" Ciel stammered as she threw her arms around him in a big hug. Freckles, or, known by her stage name, _Doll_, was the darling of the Noah's Arc Circus Troupe. He'd seen her, in costume, yesterday at the opening ceremony. Now she was here, hugging him like he was a long-lost friend, calling him by name.

"Ah! Thank _God _yer awake! An' alive, I mean, _that's_ important, _too_, but – "

Suddenly, before Ciel suffocated under the girls smothering grip, Sebastian was there, gingerly prying the two apart.

"Be gentle with him, please, Freckles," he said simply, setting her down a few feet back from Ciel. "Ciel's still in a delicate condition."

"Oh, sorry," Freckles breathed, before her attention was squarely back onto Ciel. "Ciel! You gotta listen t'me! It's not safe for ye to take part in the Cosplay Competition t'day!"

"What? Why?" Ciel's eyes widened – how Freckles even knew who they were, where they were, and how they were enrolled into the competition was beyond him. "What do you mean, it's not safe?"

"Yeah!" Bardroy injected. Sebastian sent him a harsh glance, and the blonde fell silent along with the rest of the group.

"Coz Joker says there's been some weirdos hangin' round the convention centre – guys in black suits. Guys with surveillance stuff and cameras and stuff!" Freckles babbled, and Ciel held up a hand to silence her – surprisingly enough, it worked.

"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "Well, we were already aware of the fact that the Dispatch was there. But first – _how _did you know who I am? And how did you know how to find us?"

Freckles rolled her eyes, as if she were tired of having to repeat herself. Ciel guessed from her exasperated expression that she'd already had to explain her presence to the rest of the group.

"I can't tell ye everything, Ciel, but you remember me, doncha?" she asked. "Three an' a half years ago, at the exhibit in London, yeah?"

"What exhibit?" Ciel raised his eyebrows – this was new. Had he perhaps known Freckles since before the experiments had taken place? It may explain how and why he knew of the Noah's Arc Troupe, why they had been a part of his hallucinations.

"In London! With the Noah's Arc Troupe!" Freckles said desperately. "Y'know, yer dad would sponsor us to put on shows and stuff and you and me, we'd – " she stopped herself, her eyes scanning Ciel's face for any sign of recognition. "Oh," she murmured quietly, her shoulders dropping.

"What?" Ciel asked. "What is it?"

Freckles looked up, her eyes sad. "You really don't remember." She turned to Sebastian. "I'm sorry for not believin' ya, Mista Sebastian."

"It's all right," he smiled gently down at her, his eyes kind. "It always takes a while to come to terms with some things, especially like this. Ciel remembers you and you family Troupe in a different way, but nonetheless, he still remembers you. Isn't that what's important?"

The girl in front of Ciel blinked, and for a moment he thought she might be about to burst into tears, but she bit her lip and swallowed hard, a look of determination setting in on her delicate features.

"Yeah," she murmured. "Yeah, okay." Then, she looked back up at Ciel. "Well, in answer to ye first question, you and I have known each other for a while. I guess we were friends. In answer to yer second question, Joker had me follow ye all back here last night, and told me to come back in the morning to tell ye all that it's not safe for you to be up on stage today. Not with all them nasties crawlin' around."

"And by nasties," Pluto said slowly. "You mean the Dispatch Society agents."

Freckles cast a glance over to the silver haired young man, who was watching the whole group quietly and carefully, and she nodded. "Yeah – that's right. Them and them other guys, too."

"Other guys?" Sebastian asked, and Freckles nodded again.

"Yup – there were a handful of them – three all dressed the same, with short dark hair, with a lady with long hair in a big long braid – real pretty she was, with dark tanned skin and lavender eyes, but Joker said they're trouble." She looked around at Ciel and Sebastian's wide eyed reactions. "What?"

Ciel swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat. They had been watched yesterday, and he hadn't even noticed. He'd been too wrapped up in having a good time. "They were…"

"Doctor Hannah Annafellows and her medical team of triplets, Thompson, Timber and Canterbury," Sebastian finished for him, and all eyes fell on him. "I had a sneaking suspicion that I'd seen them, but I never got a good enough look."

Ciel felt a shiver run down his spine. Hannah Annafellows had been the demoness that had served under the Trancy name, biding her time until she was able to take everyone by surprise and present herself as the true antagonist. She let Claude Faustus and her demon triplets do all the dirty work while she stood smugly in the background. In this reality, she was the Keeper of Luca Macken. Who was braindead. And he really didn't want to think about the triplets as they were in this reality – he shuddered at the memory of his encounter with them in that alley in the middle of the night before he'd stumbled upon the Undertaker's parlour.

"They were there…looking for us?" he asked, and Freckles nodded.

"Yeah – Joker had all of us on watch; an' everytime we saw them, they'd be watching you. And anyone ye were with at the time. But they never made any moves or anything. Today, though, Joker thinks that it might be too dangerous for you to be on stage during the competition if they're there. He thinks that ye'll be sittin' ducks if they make a move to capture ye." She said. "We've been warned of the Hospital's workings, and we've seen how ruthless they are in tryin' to get ye back, Ciel. Everyone saw the escapade in the foyer yesterday with the two guys who attacked yer group."

Ciel took a deep breath. Of course the Noah's Arc Troupe would have either seen or at least have been informed about what had happened. Of course they'd be watched and scrutinized all day afterwards – he just hadn't realized by who. Obviously, the Double Charles hadn't left without calling in backup first. Uncertain of what to do, he turned to Sebastian.

"So...what should we do?" he asked, and the dark haired doctor considered.

"I think, in all honesty, we should pull out from the competition." Sebastian said slowly, much to the disappointment of Bard, Finni and Mey-Rin. Ciel, too, felt a pang of disappointment in his gut, but he knew that this was probably for the best. "If it were up to me, I'd say we pack up and go back to London right now."

"Huh?" everyone's eyes were on Sebastian – but he ignored their surprised looks; his own gaze was focussed solely on Ciel, who looked back at him with a slightly stunned silence.

"This was something we decided to do because of you, Ciel. This was your chance at being reunited with your family. We have yet to find out who it really is that's pretending to be your father, and I think it's hardly fair that we pull out now with so many unanswered questions. But in the end, the choice should be yours, Ciel." the doctor said quietly, and Ciel blinked – Sebastian was...giving _him_ the choice?

Freckles eyed Ciel carefully. "What'll you do?"

Chewing his lower lip, Ciel considered his options. They could risk going out on stage for the competition, thus drawing attention to themselves from not only the public eye, but also the attention of both the Hospital and the Dispatch. That could end up in chaos all-round. They could leave, go back to London, back into hiding – but that would prove nothing. They'd have wasted all of this effort to get here in the first place.

Or, they could with draw from the competition, but remain at the convention. Ciel turned slightly, eyeing the door to the bedroom that he and Sebastian shared. He didn't like the idea, but it was one of the only options they had if they wanted any answers out of this whole thing. After all, he did still have another outfit...

"We'll withdraw from the competition," he said, breaking the tense atmosphere, and though he heard Finnian and Mey-Rin sigh in disappointment, he added, "however, we'll still go to the convention again today. I think that everyone else should go in normal clothes, though, to avoid raising suspicion. Sebastian and I have our other costumes, too, so that will help to disguise us."

"You think that's wise?" Pluto asked, his eyebrows raised. "People'll ask questions about a group that's only got two out of, like, six that are dressed up."

"So split up!" Freckles said. "Like you guys did yesterday! It won't attract as much attention as it would if ye were in a group. Besides, lots of people change their outfits for the second day or even just go in regular clothes. Doesn't matter, so long as you're wearin' yer wristband."

Sebastian nodded along. "I suppose it could work. And besides, Ciel and I weren't together yesterday, so we won't look out of place today, just so long as no one recognizes us. Which I don't think will really be a problem – our other costumes are fairly different."

Ciel swallowed at the thought of his _other_ costume. He'd been hoping that he wouldn't need it.

"Well, that settles it then. I'll get Joker to remove your competition entry from the roster, and ye'll have nothin' ter worry about." Freckles said with a smile. She headed to the door of the hotel room. "So, I guess I'll see ye all in a while?"

They nodded, waved, and bid their goodbyes to the young girl, who waved in return before slipping out the door. Once the door was closed, everyone seemed to relax a little, before turning to each other.

"So." Finnian said, finally breaking the silence of awkward glances. "Who wants breakfast?"

**-:-**

Day two of the Noah's Arc Steampunk convention was already well and truly in full swing as the pair had made their way through the raucous crowds that crammed through the halls and Huxters of the convention centre. It had been a little after eleven-thirty when they had finally arrived; but the energy and the atmosphere was just as high and lively as it had been the day before. By now, it was mid-afternoon, and already Ciel and Sebastian had been caught up in the array of stalls, merchandise, activities and the like that the convention had to offer.

This time, however, there were more people begging for photos at the sight of the pair. Sebastian had already had to fend off several drooling teenage girls who wanted him to sign various articles of their underwear and Ciel had actually received a kiss on the hand from a dapper young gentleman who'd made passing comments about Ciel's outfit. Ciel had shuddered at the young mans ignorance, but had to grin about bear it. After all, this _had_ been his idea.

"Isn't there a word for people like these?" he asked Sebastian around a mouthful of chocolate-covered wafer sticks. Sebastian, who was currently sitting next to him on the bench just inside the main foyer area, seemed to consider it for a moment.

"Nerds?"

"Whats?"

"Geeks, nerds, eggheads – all common slang for people with introverted tastes and fascinations." Sebastian explained. "Like people who obsessed with cartoons, anime, books, and the internet – they're considered a minority by the rest of society, which sustains itself by being belligerent, out going, and sport-loving. Those who blend well with society look down on those who don't; one could probably classify a lot of these people, who come together in great convergences like this because of common tastes and interests that don't appear to be considered 'normal', as those who don't blend well with the rest of society."

"Didn't Finni have a word for them too? He said it this morning to Mey-Rin, I think – something about that Anime exhibition going on downstairs?"

"Ah. That would be otaku. Basically the Japanese equivalent of a nerd." Sebastian said with a nod, taking a sip from the iced coffee cupped in his hands. He appeared calm, relaxed, but Ciel knew that the doctor was wound tighter than a coiled spring – and in all honesty, so was he – every face he saw, every person he passed, was looking out for someone he recognized from the Hospital, and he knew that Sebastian was too. They'd seen a few of the Dispatch agents milling around, but because of their disguises, hadn't raised any of the agents suspicions. Which made him think of something.

"Where's Grell? I haven't seen him around yet," Ciel said, casting another glance around the foyer. "I would have thought he'd be here again today."

"I don't know," Sebastian replied. "Maybe he's working with the security detail on the outside of the convention centre this time."

Nodding, silence lapsed over the two of them, the hub-bub of the crowds and people around them dulled to their ears as they were lost, momentarily, in their own thoughts. Gazing down at the floor by his booted feet that peaked out from beneath the skirts of the lavish pink gown that adorned his figure, Ciel suddenly realized that his boots weren't the only pair of feet occupying his vision – a second pair had stepped up in front of him. White ballet-flats. He looked up, and there was Freckles, all done up in her beautiful white rosy outfit, grinning down at him.

"_Love_ what ye have done to ye hair, Ciel," she giggled, and Ciel groaned and tried to ignore the blush that was rising on his cheeks. The wig he wore was the same colour as his natural slate-coloured hair, but from it extended two long, curled pigtails that draped down over his shoulders.

"_Thanks_," he muttered, and Freckles burst into a fit of laughter.

"Ye look like a right princess, ye do!" She guffawed, and even Sebastian smiled at Ciel's chagrin. "Gawd, that's priceless! Ye gotta let me take a photo of ye sometime, kay?"

Groaning, Ciel rolled his eyes to Sebastian, who nodded with a chuckle. "Nerd." They said in unison, and Freckles stopped laughing for a moment, looking surprised, before bursting into laughter again.

"Well, well – don't ye both look just dandy," she giggled, wiping a tear from her eye as her laughter subsided. "I wouldn't be surprised if ye got many admirerers if ye were to partake in the Midnight Ball this evening. Though I dunno if you'd want to."

"The Midnight Ball?" Ciel repeated, and then remembered – the last big event of the convention would be held this evening, directly after the cosplay competition ended, a short, twenty minute interval between the two events. Despite its name, the ball did not go to midnight, as one would suppose, as the convention timetable claimed that it would only go until nine-thirty or so in the evening. That was when the convention would come to an end, everyone would be thanked for coming and for the great weekend, and then would be wished well on their way.

"Yeah – though, I s'pose you're disguised enough that no one'd really recognize ye," Freckles said with a smile. "Course, it's all up to ye."

"It's almost directly after the cosplay competition, right?" Ciel asked, and Freckles nodded.

"That's right. How come?" she asked, but Ciel had his eyes on Sebastian, thinking carefully about their next move. Maybe they could still get close to the man claiming to be his father. Sebastian didn't seem to be listening – he was doing another sweep of the foyer for any signs of trouble. Ciel followed his gaze for a moment, and caught sight of Pluto and Mey-Rin a little way off – the pair saw the three of them, and waved with smiles; all was clear from their end. Freckles however, who was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, looking the absolute _picture_ of cute, sweet and innocent, didn't see the glances between Sebastian and the pair across the foyer – she was focussed on Ciel.

"Well,"Ciel said quietly, taking advantage of Sebastian's momentary distraction to lean closer to Freckles, beckoning her to lean down so he could whisper in her ear. "There's something I'll need to you do..."

**-:-**

Seven thirty in the evening. The cosplay competition had just been drawn to a close, and Joker sighed with relief as the last of the audience filed back out of the doors, chattering and laughing amongst themselves. The competitors from the competition had all been thanked for their participation, and had been informed that the results of the competition would be announced at the closing ceremony of the convention at the end of the Midnight Ball. With that, everyone had been dismissed to go and prepare themselves for the next big event.

"J-joker!" he whirled, to see his lovely little Doll dash up to him – she looked out of breath and a little frazzled. "I've bin lookin' for ye everywhere!"

"Aye, lass – what bee's up yer bonnet?" he asked with a jovial chuckle, catching her by the shoulders as she came to a staggering stop in front of him. She took a moment to catch her breath, before taking a deep lungful of air to speak.

"I-I need...to find...the two from...uh...the German an' the detective –" she said, still gasping a bit for air. "Whe-where are they?"

"Who, y'mean the stand in for Master Phantomhive an' his German buddy?" Joker asked, and Doll nodded. "Whatever d'ya need to see them for? They're currently backstage, getting ready ter head back to London this evenin'."

Doll's eyes widened.

"Oh no! They can't go yet!"

"Huh?!" Joker was almost completely spun around on the spot as the young lass lunged past him, heading across the stage for the stairs that led to the backstage, hidden just behind the huge, draping theatre curtains. "What d'ya mean?!"

Doll scrambled back up the stairs. "Oh – will the auditorium be left open?"

"Course – hey, Doll!" Joker called after her, but after a hurried thanks, the scrawny fifteen year old had disappeared into the darkness of the backstage area. Wide-eyed and completely confused, Joker took a moment to right himself and straighten out his outfit before sighing to himself and heading out of the theatres' side exit. He had some final preparations of the Midnight Ball to get finished.

**-:-**

Abberline, still dressed in the tan overcoat and the wig that made him look like a near-replica of Vincent Phantomhive, stepped into the dark auditorium through the audience entrance. The young girl of the Troupe had told him to go to the theatre at exactly seven forty-five that evening, fifteen minutes after the cosplay competition had ended. She handed said anything else, but had told him specifically to come alone.

Their breif conversation backstage had taken place in the moments when Diedrich had been preparing the car for their journey back to London, so the German hadn't been privy to their exchange before the girl in the white rose-dress had slid out of the dressing room backstage and disappeared. Abberline had taken the next fifteen minutes to try and find her again, wanting to demand some sort of explanation from her, but he'd been searching the convention centre fruitlessly.

So, without anything else to do, he had headed back to the auditorium, which was where he was at this current time.

"Hello?" he scoped out the massive theatre, wishing for better lighting than the dimmed stage lights that barely shed any light across the stage at all. He had to be careful – this could be a trap. He didn't know what to expect, but he was on his guard all the same.

Suddenly, a powerful stage light in the centre of the stage lit up, casting a strong beam down over the black stage floor. Standing in the centre of the stage was a young girl – not the lass from earlier – in a rose pink gown adorned with lace and ruffles all the way down the skirts, her hands gloved from the elbows down in dark grey velvet gloves. Her slate hair was covered by a similarly designed hat, with more roses adorning it and even covering her right eye, and two long, luscious ponytails of curled hair that just _had_ to have been a wig trailed down over her shoulders to her back. Her arms were folded across her chest, her expression serious.

"W-who are you?" Abberline asked cautiously, stepping down among the rows of audience seats towards the stage. The girl took a moment to consider before replying.

"I think the question is, more or less, who are _you_?" she countered, her voice oddly neutral. He would have thought that, for a young girl as pretty as her – she couldn't have been more than fourteen years old – that she would have had a move higher, more sing-song voice. Not this cold, stern, almost _boyish_ voice.

Taken by surprise, Abberline started. "Uh – well, I'm Vincent Phantomhive, miss." Had to keep up appearances – he couldn't risk being found out now. Not after he hadn't been able to catch sight of Ciel Phantomhive at _all_ in the last few days.

The girl almost laughed out loud, but managed to keep her scoff contained beneath that dainty little gloved hand. Her eyes were incredulous, almost cruel.

"No you aren't," she said, and something tightened in Abberline's chest. Who was this girl? How had she seen through this disguise?

"W-who are you, lass?" he asked. "Listen, I don't want any trouble..."

"If you didn't want any trouble, you wouldn't have come her masquerading as someone you're not," she snorted. "The nerve of you."

Abberline was just about to reach for his badge, only to remember that he didn't have it on him – it was in his travel bag – which Diedrich had already packed into the car. Where are Diedrich, anyway? Surely he would have noticed Abberline's absence by now -

"Look, I think there's been a misunderstanding. What was your name?" Abberline tried to keep his voice steady, but if anything, it only seemed to offend the young girl even more.

"Take off the wig, you phony!" she cried. "Take it off! Show me who you really are!"

There was a subtle click of the hammer of a handgun being cocked, and the two of them fell silent. From behind the curtains of the stage, Diedrich stepped out of the shadows, his handgun drawn and aimed directly at the girl.

"That's enough of that." the German said. "I don't know who you are or who you _think_ you are, missy, but if you know what's good for you, you'll leave. Right now. And not look back. Nor say a word to anyone of this little encounter. Hear me?"

The girl turned slowly to the man pointing the gun at her, and Abberline desperately wanted to urge Diedrich to put the damn gun down – there was no need for the weapon; she was just a girl – but something strange caught his eye, made him pause. The girl seemed to freeze upon seeing Diedrich, staring at him as if she recognized him from somewhere, like she had seen him before, but just couldn't place where she'd seen him from. She seemed completely oblivious to the gun pointed at her. Abberline took the moment to dash forward, aiming to leap right up onto the stage and between Diedrich and the girl, get closer to her so he could get some answers.

But halfway down the corridor, he was pulled up short as another click sounded – a second gun was being cocked, and out from between a row of seats appeared a man – raven haired and burgandy eyed, a calm smirk over his handsome features.

"That's far enough, _imposter,_" he said, his dark coat similar in make and design to the one that Abberline was wearing – in fact, the mans entire attire was almost completely identical to the one in which Abberline and Diedrich had put together from inspection of Vincent Phantomhive's wardrobe. The only difference was that this man wore glasses, and had a lock of his hair pushed back from his fringe, tucked behind one ear.

Confused glances were exchanged everywhere, and the girl seemed especially surprised to see the man in the glasses appear from his hiding place between the seats, bringing Abberline's charge to a stumbling halt.

"Wait a minute," Abberline breathed. "You're..."

"What the hell?" Diedrich had caught sight of the man dressed so similarly to Abberline as well. "Looks like Vincent's got a cosplayer."

The girl on stage held at gunpoint looked down at her male companion who had the gun on Abberline. "This was _not_ the plan." she sounded angry. Her male companion shrugged, the satanic smirk never once leaving his features.

"I told you, _mistress_," he stressed the word as if it were some kind of joke he was divulging some kind of mirth in, "please no more running off by yourself anymore. You certainly do seem to be a magnet for trouble."

She growled at him, and it was in that moment that Diedrich lunged at her, catching her off guard and tackling her to the ground. She cried out, and her male companion whirled and leapt forward to engage Diedrich, but Abberline threw himself and caught the man by the legs, bringing them both crashing down. Meanwhile, up on stage, the girl was yelping as Diedrich did his best to frisk-search her for any form of identification.

"_Don't touch him!_" the man beneath Abberline roared with the ferocity of a lion protecting its pride, and he quickly scrambled up from beneath Abberline to make another dash for the stage. Quickly hoisting himself up into the raised platform, he threw himself bodily at Diedrich, tackling him and sending the two of them rolling off of the girl – who's hair had been pulled loose from beneath the bonnet, the long dark locks yanked clear from her head – as Abberline suspected, they had been part of a wig. What he didn't understand, though, was -

Gazing up from his position on the floor, Abberline watched, still slightly stunned from the impact of hitting the ground, as the girl stood, her bodice slipping down from where Diedrich's tackle had pulled it loose, and Abberline's eyes widened to see that the girl was completely flat-chested. She didn't even seem self conscious. That was when the penny dropped.

Don't touch _him_, the man had said. _Him._ The girl was really a boy. A boy with a mop of slate blue hair.

Everyone was staring at him in dazed shock – it was his male companion who had lunged at Diedrich who took action first, scrambling to his feet and grabbing the young boy by the arm, dragging him from the stage, the boy desperately trying to gather up the skirts of the dress so he didn't trip as the two of them fled from the stage.

"Stop them!" Abberline cried, and Diedrich was already up and sprinting after them. But they reached the backstage exit door before he got there, and the door was slammed and locked in his face as he nearly collided with the door head-on. There was a moment of stunned silence as Abberline climbed to his feet, Diedrich returning to the stage with a shake of his head. They'd gotten away.

"That was..."

"Yeah," Abberline said bitterly. "Yeah, I know."

**-:-**

"What the _bloody hell_ were you _thinking,_ you idiot?!" Sebastian growled as he just about tore the skirts from around Ciel's waist. Ciel let his head hang in shame, trying to not let Sebastian see the scowl on his face as the doctor pulled the strings of the corset at his back free.

They had taken refuge in one of the convention centres toilets, there the Undertaker had met them after a brief call from Sebastian as they'd fled from the auditorium. Now, they had a change of clothes each – a brand new butler outfit just like his other one for Sebastian, and an inconspicuous boys outfit for Ciel.

"You could have been shot!" Sebastian raged, still tugging at the corset until it tumble down around Ciel's feet. "Who the hell knows who they were?! You're an idiot – what if they were from the Hospital, huh? What if I hadn't followed you?!"

"They _weren't _from the Hospital!" Ciel objected as Sebastian began to tug the fresh, egg-shell white shirt around his shoulders before hasilty buttoning up. He handed Ciel a pair of dark, knee-length shorts for him to slip into, before handing him a pair of brown, slightly scuffed boots with a pair of socks. The dress was handed back out to the Undertaker, who crooned over the abuse of the pretty outfit, but soon the morticians musings faded as he left to go back to his stall to pack up before the beginnings of the Midnight ball.

"Oh yes? And just _how_, pray tell, did you know that?" Ciel couldn't remember ever seeing Sebastian so angry – well, that wasn't true, he had seen him this angry before, but never before had Sebastian directed his anger at Ciel. Not with this much wrath. The doctor was practically fuming at the ears. But Ciel was determined to not back down. He'd done this because he'd needed answers, and he'd known that Sebastian would never have allowed to do it if he'd asked for the mans consent.

"Because that man – the German – he was a friend of my fathers." Ciel said, hearing the slight tremble in his voice as he spoke, and Sebastian paused as he was buttoning up the brown vest over Ciel's shirt. Sebastian swallowed, and sighed before replying.

"We can't trust anyone more than we trust each other, Ciel," he said softly. "And...after everything that's been going on lately, I'm becoming less and less inclined to trust anyone at all outside of our family. I don't care if that man had anything to do with your father – you should have trusted in me to help you. Running off like that only serves to worry me."

Ciel looked down at the large, pale hands resting against his stomach, and was surprised to see them trembling ever so slightly.

"Sebastian..." he began, but the doctor shook his head.

"No, Ciel. When I cannot see you, I worry. I've been your guardian for nearly four years now. It's not just a sense of duty that makes me want to keep you locked away from anyone or anything that might do you harm – it's become far deeper than that. So...so when you just disappear like that, especially at a time and place like this, I go spare. You're very lucky that I did follow you. I don't know who those men are associated with now, be it with your father or not, but that man attacked you, and that was motive enough for me to get you out of there."

Ciel bit his lip – his sides still ached from where the German man had tackled him to the ground. He could still feel those large hands and those probing fingers roaming over his body, trying to find anything that might alert the man as to who Ciel really was. In reality, when it had happened, Ciel hadn't been thinking of it that way – he had only felt that he was being attacked, and the man was trying to push himself onto him, not realizing that Ciel was really a boy. _That_ had been the one downfall of dressing as a girl.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm-I'm really glad that you were there."

Before he realized what he was doing, Ciel had reached out and was wrapping his arms around Sebastian's shoulders, and the doctor kneeling in front of him leant his head into Ciel's torso, returning the hug. Ciel could feel the silky strands of black hair brushing over his fingers, could smell the smell of aftershave and something like almonds mixed with sweat. It smelt like Sebastian, and it was so reassuring to have Sebastian here.

"It's okay." Sebastian murmured into Ciel's chest. "But now, we have to get you out of here. I think we've caused enough trouble for today."

Sebastian leant back and looked up to look into Ciel's eyes, and Ciel nodded.

"Okay. Where are the others?"

"Currently being wallflowers at the Midnight Ball, I think." Sebastian said with a small smile, and he got to his feet, before straightening out his butlers tailcoat. He had been the first to change, before helping Ciel to change into his new clothes. Now, Ciel looked like a young kid wearing used hand-me-downs from the Victorian-era, and Sebastian was back to being that gorgeously handsome butler. They were quite the mismatched pair.

They headed out of the toilets and back towards the main foyer; they passed little to nobody on the way there, and found that the entire foyer, which was serving as the 'ballroom' for the occasion, was already filled to the brim with brilliantly dressed men and women in their very best steampunk outfits. There was a live band set to one side with music in full swing, and Ciel and Sebastian quickly scanned the crowds in search of the rest of their group.

Suddenly, Ciel caught sight of Grell Sutcliff. But the agent lacked his usual flirtatious smile; in its place, was one of worry.

"Hey, Sebastian..."

Before Ciel could even catch Sebastian's attention, he saw it – Grell was following several other Dispatch agents; all of which Ciel recognized. There was Agent Humphries and Slingby, as well as Agent Spears. Suddenly, Ciel looked around – there were so many agents everywhere, seemingly inconspicuous in their dark suits from the rest of the gentlemen in the foyer; set apart only by the one thing they all had in common -

_They were all wearing glasses._

"Se-Sebastian..." Ciel breathed, when a loud siren suddenly went off outside. In the darkness of the evening outside of the brightly lit foyer with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, there were several large security vans, their red and blue lights beginning to flash.

As the Dispatch agents stormed the Midnight Ball all at once, everything erupted into complete chaos.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

Okay so I know I promised this chapter like, a WEEK ago, and didn't update it then, so here's my pitiful excuse why:

My stupid sibling used up all our internet for the month, so we didn't get it back until today. Go figure, huh? All my plans on downloading a story from a friend so I could proof read it, uploading some art requests for another friend, dashed.

*shrug* but nothin' I could do about it, friends. Plus the last few days I've been sick as all hell, to it actually took me a good day and a bit to get this written, with about two or so weeks in between the writing of it to get it done.

SOOOO because now i've updated and you've read it all going "OMG OMG WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT OMG", can I get another ten reviews from y'all to keep me a-going? That would be lovely, coz your reaction the last chapter just blew my MIND, i'm telling you. That was insane. You're all too smart for me. XD

loves you :3

– _Mercy_


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

-:- **Subject 13's Butler** -:-  
.:_A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:._

_**Author: **__AoUsagi_

_**Summary: **__Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science. _

_**BeforeNote:**_

Oh hey check it out Mercy's here with another update, yo!

Find out exactly WHAT happens to Ciel and Sebastian in this epic showdown between their good selves and the Dispatch!

Find out what happens with Diedrich and Abberline!

And maybe, just maybe…

Find out who the silent hero of this little arc is ;)

GET READING I'M JUST SPOILING IT FOR YOU ALL GEEZ.

But yes in all seriousness I didn't think this chapter was going to be that crash hot, but I got a BRILLIANT brain-wave with I was rereading the murder-mystery arc of the Kuroshitsuji manga where Sebastian's being all ninja as both Jeremy AND his darling self and I thought, well, since I DO have this spare character floating around…

NEW CHARACTER INTRODUCED IN THIS CHAPTER! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

_- Mercy_

…

"_Here lies Sebastian Michaelis;_

_May ye be in Heaven an hour before the Devil knows you're dead."_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine:** Handcuffs and Antaresia Perthensis

**-:-**

Ciel felt someone grab his hand, and he was yanked off his feet as Sebastian tugged him forwards and into the panicking crowd. The agents were yelling orders, calling for everyone to calm down, that this was a lock-down, and when no one calmed, Ciel heard a single shot be fired, and one of the lights on the high ceiling spluttered and died, sparks flying but dying before they reached head height. Screams echoed around the foyer and people were shoving them this way and that, but Sebastian dove under a nearby table, hauling Ciel down with him and under the tablecloth. It wasn't much of a hiding place, but they had nowhere else amidst the chaos.

More calls for quiet – William T Spear's voice came blearing out over a megaphone, and finally, the hall began to fall silent. Taking a peek from beneath the tablecloth, Ciel saw that everyone had been herded into the centre of the foyer, and their hiding place under the table was pretty much smack in the middle of the huddled group of terrified convention-goers; the Dispatch agents had ordered them all to kneel or sit with their hands clasped behind their heads. William T Spears reassured them all that this was not a heist, not a hold-up or a mugging, merely a retrieval of '_certain_ _miscreants who had escaped from custody_'. Ciel heard Sebastian snort softly under his breath at that, and could feel the doctor guarding his back, looking out over Ciel's shoulder to get a look out at the scene around them.

Buffet tables had been over-turned in peoples fright to flee – food was scattered everywhere, glasses were smashed, plates littered everywhere. The live band were all cowering behind their music stands and their instruments; two agents posted in front of their alcove to keep them there whilst the rest of the premises were secured.

Ciel could just see William, Grell, Alan, Eric and another young man – a blonde, maybe a year younger than Alan, all standing guard at the front entrance, where the entire crowds attention was nervously awaiting what would happen next. Surrounding the trembling group of convention-goers was a ring of agents armoured in security uniforms, Kevlar vests, and gas masks to hide their faces. The five agents at the entrance, though, didn't seem to care if anyone saw their faces one way or another. He heard Sebastian whispering something softly in his ear, and turned his head to see the dark haired butler counting off the weapons on each of the agents. Upon first examination, it was clear that everyone had at least one firearm each – the five agents at the head of the Dispatch team that had them all pinned down were each carrying a pistol strapped to holsters at their hips. A glance around at the armed guards keeping them corralled showed that every guard was armed with some sort of sub-machine gun. Upon closer inspection, Ciel would have seen that they too were carrying smaller pistols, as well as smoke grenades, flash grenades and combat knives. But the rest of their arsenal was hidden all over their persons, most of it invisible to the eye if one did not know what to look for. So, all Ciel could tell was that every single one of them had a big gun each. That was enough to send tremors down his spine.

"This is outrageous!" Joker appeared from the staff room of the convention centre, the door to said room set into one of the walls that enclosed the foyer. He had his hands up and a gun pointed at his back as he and the rest of the troupe members were all escorted from the staff room. Ciel caught sight of Doll – she looked terrified, but she was putting on a brave face, holding the young Wendy and Peter close to her. Similarly, Jumbo was shielding Doll and Beast from the guns with his broad shoulders and looming figure. Dagger was making rude gestures at the armed guards, which only served to make them agitated, shoving at him to keep him moving with the rest of the group.

"Outrageous is certainly one word for it." William T Spears agreed, the silence in the foyer carrying his words across the space between himself and the young red-headed entertainer. "Because I myself would have much preferred not to stage such an outlandish manoeuvre when there will _undoubtedly_ be uncalled for overtime. However, this is the way it must be."

"Yer jokin'!" Joker scowled. "Holdin' up _my_ convention! Scarin' the wits outa _my_ guests!" He looked up at the ceiling, and saw the damage done to the light fitting. "And ye had _bloody well _better be plannin' to pay for that – this ere's a hired establishment, an' you've gone an' caused a _lot_ of proper'y damage!"

William T Spears didn't seem daunted or even slightly impressed by the young mans rage. As Ciel watched, he readjusted his glasses and spoke in that same calm, even manner. "So long as we get what we came for, we shall vacate the premises immediately and allow you to return to your event. You will receive a cheque including payment for any damage done here this evening, as well as a sincere apology straight from the desk of the head of our corporation."

"Oh yeah?" Joker cried, incredulous. "What the hell could ye be wantin', crashin' a pop-culture expo like this, huh?!"

"You have currently in your midst the likes of two rather unsavoury characters that we will be removing from the establishment." William said, sounding bothered by the whole ordeal already.

"Wait a moment," Ciel whispered, and his eyes met Sebastian's – the doctor had the same wide-eyed expression, his mouth hanging open slightly in shock. "What about everyone else? Mey-Rin and Finni and Bard and Pluto?"

Sebastian seemed to think for a moment, before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly and quietly. "There's nothing we can do but hope they managed to escape before hand," he murmured. "Right now, we have to focus on getting _you_ out of here unharmed."

"But the others – "

"_No, Ciel_," Sebastian whispered urgently, taking Ciel's small hands in his own. "Listen. The others knew that they were risking their lives to get you out of the Hospital in the first place. They have given _everything_ to keep you safe. Even their own families. They understand what they're in, and they'd happily give their _lives_ for you. If they die tonight, then they will have died in efforts to keep you alive. Right now, we cannot focus on them. My mission is to save you, even if _I _die in the efforts."

Ciel felt something lodge in his throat, almost like he'd swallowed a lump of wet tissue, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. Yes, Sebastian was right. Besides – the others were tough; he had to keep faith that they were going to be okay. They could look after themselves – they'd done it before.

"Okay," he murmured, and Sebastian nodded.

"Right."

"What do we do, then?"

It was then that something rustled nearby them – William and Joker were still arguing somewhere across the foyer, the rest of the Troupe occasionally throwing in a quip or two, only to be silenced by the threat of the barrel of a guards gun. But someone who was sitting near them moved. Suddenly, a tiny shred of light spilt under the table, and Ciel and Sebastian twisted around to see someone – a stranger, just another convention goer, peering in at them; his expression a mixture of terror and curiosity. Sebastian silently held a finger up to his lips to gesture that the man keep quiet, but this only seemed to panic him.

"H-HELP! They're down here!" the man began to shriek and blubber, and Ciel and Sebastian both winced, before the doctor took immediately action.

"Kindly shut _up_," he growled as he lashed out with one long leg and planted his foot squarely in the mans side before kicking as hard as he could, sending the yelping imbecile sprawling into several other convention-goers. Panic was rising again, voices raising all around them, and Sebastian grabbed Ciel's hand. "Run for it. On three."

"Three!" Ciel breathed, just as Sebastian hoisted the table up and onto its side, hefting it up to his shoulder as he and Ciel charged through the startled crowd, people diving left and right as they parted like the Red Sea. The guards ringing around the group all took a moment to get over their surprise before taking action – it was just enough for Sebastian and Ciel to break free of the circle, Sebastian immediately turning around and using the table like a shield, putting himself and the table between the Dispatch agents.

There were yells for them to surrender, to give themselves up, but Ciel couldn't see around the table. Sebastian raised his hand up over the top of the wooden shield, and silence fell.

"You will _not_ shoot." He demanded. "I have Ciel Phantomhive, Subject Thirteen of the Karnstein Project with me. If you shoot through this table, you risk harming him."

_He's using me as a shield in my own right,_ Ciel realized – bargaining for their safety through dangling the threat of Ciel's demise in front of them; and surprisingly enough, it was enough to give the Dispatch pause for thought.

"You will release the Phantomhive child," William T Spears responded. "And you will be incarcerated for your crimes, Sebastian Michaelis."

A murmur of shock was beginning to ripple around the huddled mass of convention guests; _Ciel Phantomhive – where have we heard that name before? Wasn't he the boy who died? Sebastian Michaelis? Wasn't he the doctor of the Phantomhive boy? They're alive?_ The Dispatch security team did nothing to quiet these nervous whispers, but the crowd fell silent again as William T Spears continued.

"You're pinned against a fire-escape, Michaelis, and we already have that exit under guard. You're trapped – you might as well give up."

Ciel barely heard him; Sebastian lowered their table shield to sit the upright edge on the ground as he knelt behind it and beckoned Ciel to get down and sit closer to him, not once relinquishing his grip on the four-legged instrument that was currently the only thing between them and the Dispatch. Ciel scooted in close to Sebastian as the doctor began to whisper urgently.

"Listen to me – see that door over there to your right? That'll lead you into another set of bathrooms. We can't make it out the fire escape behind us, so I'll move the table over there – we go in, ditch the table, and that should buy us approximately forty seconds to kick out the grill of the ceiling vent. You climb in first and I'll be right behind you – we'll just have to take our luck in getting out through the air ducts." The doctor's breathing was laboured, his words quick; he was thinking on the fly – he didn't have time to come up with a decent plan. Ciel glanced dubiously over at the doors in question.

"Sebastian, I don't think that will –" he began, only for Sebastian to cut him off with an angry shake of his head.

"Don't ask questions, Ciel, just _do_." He said, but Ciel could see the anxiety on his doctors features; Sebastian knew just as well as he did that the plan was futile, the escape impossible – he just didn't want to come to terms with the fact that they were cornered. Taking a deep breath, hearing somewhere from across the foyer Agent Spears repeating his previous demands, Ciel ignored it and focussed solely on Sebastian – a look of defeat and helplessness flashed across Sebastian's features, and Ciel wrapped his arms around the doctors neck, burying his face into Sebastian's shoulder.

"We _can't_," he murmured, before drawing back, and Sebastian nodded. They had no other choice but to co-operate.

Sebastian straightened his expression into a steely hard one of a frown, and then called out, "Very well. You win! We're surrendering." With that, he lowered the table, and there were numerous clicks of the security guards all turning to train their weapons on the pair. Grell was already on his way over to them, two pairs of handcuffs hanging limply in his grasp. The redhead said nothing as he shackled the two of them, but his look told them everything he couldn't; _I'm sorry._

**-:-**

The night air outside the convention centre had a certain chill in the air, and Ciel felt it whispering across his skin, the cold steel of the handcuffs shackling his wrists sending goosebumps up his arms. Upon being dragged out of the convention centre, he and Sebastian had made the not-so surprising discovery that Mey-Rin, Finnian, Bardroy, Pluto and Madame Red, who had joined up with their group a little earlier in the day, had also been caught by the Dispatch and arrested. Everyone huddled around Ciel and Sebastian, demanding to know if they were okay, wanting to know where they'd snuck off to and how they'd been caught.

Despite the bombardment and questions and the adrenaline flicking through his veins, Ciel felt oddly…numb; detached from the whole situation. He just let everyone else murmur and whisper amongst themselves, and instead just sat, gazing at the handcuffs on his wrists. He was weary, tired – the last two days had been so draining. Everything that had happened; fighting off the Double Charles, searching for his father, confronting the man _pretending_ to be his father…Ciel's eyes flickered to Sebastian, and saw a glint of silver at his neck; the chain of Sebastian's pendant. Oh yes, Ciel recalled. There had also been _that_.

"Ciel? Ciel, honey?" Madame Red was leaning closer to him, finally catching his attention. "Sweetheart, you're so pale – how do you feel?"

Her hands had been cuffed in front of her, and so she raised her arms and looped them over Ciel's head, pulling him close to her and hugging him as best she could. Responding with a tired groan, Ciel buried himself in the soft folds of her clothes and snuggled into her chest. She smelt good, motherly, like cleaning agents and flowers with a hint of perfume. He just wanted everything going on around him to go away – he didn't want to leave his aunts embrace, and she held him tenderly, reaching up with one hand to stroke his hair. Ciel vaguely remembered that as something his mother used to do – but he couldn't remember if it had been his real mother or the mother of his illusions.

"All right you lot." One of the Dispatch agents had stepped up in front of them. "Reunions over. Time to get loaded into the van."

Lifting his tired eyes, Ciel saw that it was the fifth agent that had stood alongside William, Grell, Alan and Eric – he was younger, about Alan's age, with a cheeky, smug grin and a shock of blonde hair. He was obviously an impressive dresser; even during a mission like this, he wore the standard black suit of the Dispatch members livened up by his dandy white leather shoes. In Ciel's tired, hazy mind, it made him look dorky.

Slowly, the group was pulled to their feet and lined up behind one of the Dispatch security vans; Madame Red had to let Ciel go, but she ensured that she was directly behind him, brushing up against his back every so often or touching his shoulder – to let him know she was still there, still protecting him. Ahead of him, there was Sebastian; whose head was hung so low his chin was practically touching his collarbone. Ciel felt ashamed that he'd been so stupid as to run off to confront the imposters alone – he should have let everyone know. Maybe then they wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with. He didn't know where the imposter and his German companion had disappeared to after the confrontation, but he knew that if they had any sense they'd be high tailing it away from the convention as fast as possible.

Voices began to drift over from the main convention centre building; the guests had been released from the lock down of the Dispatch, and many had poured out to watch the proceedings, still questioning what exactly what was going on. Ciel looked over to see them all in their fancy outfits, terrified expressions; there was even a camera crew standing by; he'd seen the crew around before, during the convention – they'd been doing a scoop on the Steampunk exhibition. The entire Noah's Arc Troupe was nowhere in sight, except for Joker, who was still tearing strips off of William T Spears in the foyer for all the havoc.

Completely by accident, Ciel caught the eye of the young journalist who was speaking to the camera – she was fairly short, only a little taller than he was, and her costume, as Finnian had figured out for them, was from a Japanese anime series about some kind of online computer game with a massive virtual reality world set where the players were unable to disconnect from the game without winning their freedom first. At least, that was the basic summary that Ciel had gotten from Finni's happy ramblings about it; but he recognized from Finnian's descriptions that the young journalist was dressed as one of the main characters. Her outfit was mainly white, with some red trimming and a red skirt, her chestnut hair long and flowing out behind her as she spoke to the cameraman. A chill breeze made Ciel shiver, and he briefly wondered how the girl could stand around in a shoulder-less top like that when the temperature was getting cooler by the moment. That's how they made eye-contact. And suddenly, before he knew it, she was striding out across the courtyard between the front steps of the convention centre and where the Dispatch vans were parked.

There were agents yelling at her to step back, to move away, by she sauntered right past them, her eyes never once leaving Ciel, her confusing cameraman trailing along behind her.

"Please excuse me," she said, her voice determined, her hand reaching out in offer of a handshake. "My name is Anna. I'm a journalist with the local news – you're Ciel Phantomhive, aren't you? The boy everyone thought had died?"

Ciel blinked at her hand like it was some sort of explosive, edging away from it. Sebastian had turned and was staring the girl down, but she had turned her gaze from Ciel when she realized that she wouldn't get an answer, and was instead now focussing on Sebastian.

"And you must be Mister Michaelis? A pleasure to meet you; please, tell us, why are you on the run? Do you have anything to say?"

Her tone was professional, but Ciel caught sight of pity in her eyes; sadness, almost. She was offering the microphone up to Sebastian as he glowered down at her, unabashed, as if she were offering him the chance to speak out against their captors – Ciel wondered if she was just doing her job, or if she was doing this out of some sort of sense of justice. To give their side of the story. For a moment, he thought that Sebastian was going to ignore her, but then, the doctor gave her a small, tired smile, and leant down to the microphone.

"Dead men tell no tales," he said, and suddenly, there was a Dispatch agent at his shoulder – Eric – and he was being shoved forward to be loaded into the van. Alan appeared next to Anna the journalist, and Ciel heard him politely ask her to please refrain from trying to interview the group. She peeked around Agent Humphries arm one more time, her worried eyes catching sight of Ciel, but he shook his head, and she relented, allowing Alan to guide her and her cameraman back over to the rest of the crowd. Ciel heard her words as she left, speaking to the cameraman – something about the cruel injustice of the world, not allowing the incarcerated a chance to voice their perspective. He heard Madame Red sigh sadly behind him, just as Eric took him firmly by the shoulder, grunted "C'mon, kid," at him, and tugged him forward to the back of the van.

**-:-**

The entire affair had also attracted quite a crowd from the general public, not just the attention of the convention goers themselves. People out and about in the evening had seen the commotion from the street, and had gathered around to see what all the fuss was about. And as much as Diedrich despised big crowds of yammering nitwits, adults, children, families, teens, businessmen and women, etcetera – it certainly made blending in a whole lot easier. Abberline was at his side, fidgeting nervously, as they watched the ordeal of the Phantomhive group being loaded into the back of the large Dispatch van.

"Did we do the right thing?" the inspector asked quietly, but Diedrich merely shrugged.

"We did what we had to do. If we'd gotten ourselves nabbed in there, Vincent would have our heads."

There was a moment of quiet buried beneath the chatter and the babble of the people around them, all swarming for a better view of the arrest, which was when they both froze as another voice joined their conversation from behind them.

"What do you mean, '_would have_'?" the current temperature of the air around them seemed to plummet a good ten or so degrees, and both Abberline and Diedrich jumped nearly a foot in the air as they whirled around.

Standing there was two people; a peculiar young man with pale skin and a mop of white air, dressed in a black and white striped costume that resembled that a little of a medieval jesters outfit along with a small black jacket hanging over his shoulders, lace ties holding it together across his chest. He had black pants, and long, soft black leather boots with laces all the way up the front of the boots, until just above his knees. Draped around his slender shoulders were about three different species of snakes, hissing and coiling their way around his neck and limbs like he was some kind of jungle gym. But standing next to him, was a much taller man, almost as tall as Diedrich - slender frame, dark hair, mole under one eye and a hard frown slashing across his face.

"Oh," was all Abberline found himself able to utter.

Vincent Phantomhive did _not_ look happy to see them.

**-:-**

If anything, the back of the Dispatch van seemed even colder than the outside air of the cloudless night outside. The only heat that Ciel could feel was the warmth radiating from the bodies seated on either side of him; Mey-Rin on one side and Pluto on the other. Sebastian was directly across from him, flanked by Finnian and Madame Red. Bardroy seated on the other side of Pluto; he had been the first to be loaded. They had all had their cuffs removed, only to have similar cuffs replace them; these ones, however, were key-card activated and all attached to a length of chain that was welded to the sides of the van. There was a panel of reinforced steel between them and the front of the van, allowing them a small amount of privacy with only a medium sized, thin fibreglass window set into the steel panel for the drivers to look into the back to check on the passengers. Everyone's face held defeat, and Ciel was right there with them all on with that feeling. The van began to move – pulling out of the parking lot and into the street.

After almost an hour and a half of being driven in silence, they were no longer within the city limits of Manchester – the narrow, high-set windows that lined the tops of the van walls no longer showing flashes of the city lights, only the darkness and occasional star whizzing past. They were out onto the open highway, at high speed, the miles slipping away beneath the wheels of the van.

"We're gonna be locked up and processed," Finnian murmured, drawing his knees up to his chest. "I don't wanna be processed."

The others nodded, everyone's expressions were grim – when Bardroy attempted to crack a smile.

"Y'mean…like, processed cheese?" he asked, catching Finni by surprise. The boy blinked, before he smiled sadly.

"Yeah."

"Does that make Mey and myself cows?" Madame Red asked, her smile and curious tone bringing small shreds of light to the dark, dank van. Mey-Rin was smiling by now, too – even Pluto chuckled. Ciel wanted to smile, he really did, but he was too tired. He looked over to Sebastian as the other continued to try and make jokes, lighten the mood. The doctor let out a small smile, but Ciel could tell it wasn't because he found the jokes funny; he was glad – glad that the others were still determined to stay positive even in the face of defeat. Ciel was about to say something, when something cold and _scaly_ suddenly glided against his ankle. Yelping, he scooted his feet up off the van floor, and everyone turned to look at him.

Mey-Rin yelped in surprise, and Madame Red suppressed a yell as she too pulled up her feet away from the creature. Pluto was sitting very, very still, not wanting to frighten in. But even though everyone had its full, undivided attention; the small, pale reddish python with slightly darker, irregular sized blotches and spots winding down over its lithe little body was focussed solely on Ciel, raising its upper body and head up to peer at him, its tongue flickering in and out of its mouth as it beckoning him.

"Stay very, very still, Ciel," Sebastian said softly, and Ciel could see Sebastian slowly reaching out one leg, his foot raised, ready to stamp down on the snake should it make any sudden moves.

"Wait, Sebastian!" Bardroy hissed. "That's a python, that is – harmless."

"But constricting," Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the creature. "That's how it incapacitates its prey."

"You really think it reckons it can make a meal outa Ciel?" Pluto asked, dubious, and it was then that Ciel caught sight of the small cord tied in a neat bow around the snakes body – and, underneath, there looked to be something – a piece of paper, maybe – attached to it.

"Hold on," Ciel whispered, and, as far as he dared, he reached down to the snake, ever so slowly. He could tell that everyone was holding their breath, Sebastian's foot still raised just in case, as he couldn't reach down because of the chains restricting his movements. The snake seemed to dance back and forth a little, its head swaying from side to side as it watched Ciel slowly reach closer to it, its beady, black little eyes eyeing him off curiously. Then, when Ciel's fingers were mere centimetres from the snakes nose, the creature slid forward and up into Ciel's hand, winding its way around his wrist and over his fingers, its cold, smooth scales sending a shiver down his spine.

He caught hold of the note that was tied to the snakes underbelly, and, turning it over in his hands, he found it was actually two things; one was a hand written note, the other thing tucked into the notes fold. The note itself read:

_The key code is 9-6-4-9-2._

_~says Oscar._

It took a moment to realize where the pygmy python that had by now settled itself comfortable in Ciel's lap had come from.

"Snake," he breathed, a small smile appearing over his lips. He unfolded the note, and the second item fell out – it was a small, Dispatch agent's key card. The card had been stolen and smuggled to them by the last member of the Noah's Arc Troupe that Ciel had not seen; the quiet snake charmer known only as Snake, who in Ciel's other life, Ciel had known as a snake and human hybrid; a laughing stock for the general public. But to the Noah's Arc Circus, he was just another brother in the family.

"Ciel – what is it?" Finnian asked, and Ciel grinned and showed them the key card. Then, he reached up, over his head, to where there was a small control panel, and, after a little bit of fumbling, he managed to slide the key card into the slot. There was a small beep, and an automated female voice asked for the access code. Carefully, squinting up at the panel in the gloom, Ciel pressed in the numbers from that were written on the note. It took him several tries, mainly because he was trying to do it upside down, but the control panel was patient with him and didn't lock down after several wrong attempts. Finally, the final button was pushed and the cuffs around his wrists clicked open. Everyone cheered.

Quickly getting up, Ciel scooped up Oscar the snake and tucked the curled up python into a small satchel bag that his pants had come with; the hip bag was mainly meant to carry a few spare coins, perhaps a phone, but in this case, it was carry the sixty centimetre long python until Ciel could someday return him to his owner. No doubt Snake was missing Oscar – Ciel had known that Snake's reptilian family was large, consisting of a variety of different species of varying poisonous strengths, but every single one of them were family to him nonetheless. For this silent rescue, Ciel would keep Oscar safe. Somehow, he'd find a way to get him back to Snake.

"Hurry Ciel, quickly!" Madame Red urged, and Ciel reached over his aunt to push the card into the slot above her head, and punched in the access code when the automated voice sounded again. Then, he turned to Pluto and Bardroy, repeating the process again and again.

Soon, everyone was un-cuffed, and Mey-Rin suddenly pulled them all into a big group hug. When Ciel gave her a surprised look, she just smiled and hugged him tighter.

"Coz, y'know, I didn't think we'd ever have the chance to say goodbye to one another. Now we've got a chance to stayin' together." She mumbled into his hair, and, still wrapped in her arms and about three other peoples, Ciel nodded and smiled. He had been afraid of that, too.

However, their happy moment was soon shattered by the sound of one of the agents up the front of the van yelling, and very, very suddenly someone slammed on the brakes, sending the van screeching into a nose-first spin. The velocity threw the entire group into a screaming heap against one side, and the van tumbled roof-over-wheels before landing on its side and skidding to a bone-jarring, spark-spitting halt on the asphalt highway.

It all happened so fast, Ciel didn't register the stop. He didn't register the pile of groaning others stacked on top of him, or the writhing of a very terrified Oscar in his satchel at his hip. The force had thrown him right against the wall of the van, and his head had cracked against the steel panelling hard. He was unconscious before he could even realize it.

**-:-**

* * *

_**AfterNote:**_

OOOH _NO_ WHAT HAVE I DONE _**ANOTHER **_CLIFFHANGER?!

And another update in less than a week? Wow I thought this chapter would take me longer than that. But I'm technically keeping to my promise by updating faster because of all your wonderful reviews (almost ten for that last chapter; WOOPEE! You guys know how to make a girl SMILE~!)

Seriously, though. Keep up the reviews and I'll keep writing faster.

But if my writing gets crap tell me and I'll work it through slower. Seriously dudes. Great thing about my writing usually is that I can just WRITEWRITEWRITEWRITE and instead of being senseless dribble it's actually half decent in my opinion. If something takes me aaaaaaaaaaaages to get written then it's usually poor writing :/ weird.

ANYWAY.

**Rupanzel! **Darling I hope you liked your cameo, and OI EVERYONE ELSE. can you all guess who Anna the journalist (my dear friend **Rupanzel** ((everyone go check her out she's pretty specky buy now beat the rush WHAT)) who got 40 glory points and a cameo appearnance for guessing four of the five characters I still had yet to introduce a little back), is cosplaying as? GO ON. REVIEW AND TELL ME.

You're all so smart like nearly everyone figured out the meaning of the Phantomhive case file number right away omfg dudes you should be able to guess from my shitty descriptions of Anna's outfit as to who she is and which anime she's from (please note: I've only ever heard and read a little about the anime, for research purposes, so I'm probably way off with my ideas about the characters personality and shit but EH.)

Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review. Review.

Please? :3

_- Mercy_

**PS;** hurr hurr goodness did anyone notice the chapter title? I'll give you a fun fact to a make your day; I title the chapters last based on what's in the chapter. So in thinking up an _outrageously_ witty and funny chapter title, I thought, well, there are a lot of handcuffs in this chapter without being kinky. There's also a lot of Snake in the last half.

…The scientific title for the pygmy python, which I've made Oscar, is the "antaresia perthensis".

So there you go.


End file.
